Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 15, 2015

Nice sarcasm, Bernice.

Well, these days, you know what they say: “You can lead a horse to water…. – …but you can’t make him take a selfie, Tweet a pic, update his Instagram, his status on Facebook, complain about it (#It’snotbottled!) and Geotag his location all in one convenient process”…

Bye bye Bernice. Time to make some real friends, Luann…

Oh Bernice, once again your supportive nature shows just how great a friend you are. /Sarcasm

Wrong friend to go to for that response.

And it’s all getting away from the central issue: If Quill has even gotten in…and if there’s a " reason to celebrate" (all the logistics, etc.)…

“That’s What Friends Are For?”“Let’s Make An Ideal”“Celebrate Good Times… Aw, C’mon!” (♫)

“What We Have Here…”“Cis Boom Bah, Humbug!”“You Say Potato, I Say Uncooked Starchy Tuber”“Support System Shutdown”“Eye To Eye, Give Or Take A Mile”or“That Sinking Fellow Feeling”

Ugh to Berniece.

Obviously, she’s a witch.

To be honest, Bernice isn’t saying it wouldn’t be nice to have this experience. She’s only saying that Luann has once again “celebrated the victory”, before even “playing the game”… – Sort of the “Simon Cowell Effect”….

Saw that, thanks. And I found it puzzling. Jeremy is the sarcastic one, so I can’t see how he and Luann are similar at all. He’s more of a male Bernice. And if I had mouthed off at my folks the way he does, I wouldn’t have been able to sit for a week…

At least Luann got some support from Bernice. Nothing to get excited over though.

Hey – Berneice is a good friend. A good friend can give you THEIR opinion. A good friend can be JEALOUS! A good friend gets to be human… Hey also – Now we know Luann is 18. Was that ever official before? Luann & Quill: This is not puppy love. However the best planes can crash. My measly vote is that it’s time for all the Luann kids to be young adults. Who “does it” and who does not – remains to be seen – just like the real world…

All the years I have read Luann Bernice has always been a wet blanket. Sarcasm means to cut flesh I do believe and Bernice is always ready to do just that. Don’t know why Luann considers her a friend. Always has a put down and many times Luann never caught on to them. I realize Luann needs to think this through but my friends would have been and are kinder when they want to help me make a smarter decision. Is Bernice jealous?

@ Goodheart-Couldn’t get the reply function to work. I doubt that Bernice is jealous. I’m not a long time reader of this ‘toon, so I’ve wondered why Luann sticks with someone who so clearly considers Luann to be less intelligent than she (Bernice) is.-Time to move on, Luann, and make some friends who genuinely like you…

Alright Bernice, you’ve been such a boring character long enough.

Luann has a right to plan a nice trip to New York City.

I recall long ago when I first went to the city.It changed me forever!The city forced me to grow up real fast.I got my first cell phone (one month into going to the city).Moved out of my parents house and bought my condo (6 months from my first NYC trip).

This trip to the big apple has potential for Luann.

Sometimes a friend has to tell you what you don’t want to hear. At least you might listen to a friend, when what parents say usually goes in one ear and out the other. If Luann finally does think this through AND gets her parents’ approval, you can bet that Bernice will be excited for her.

In the first panel is Luann trying to convince Bernice or herself that this trip would be a good thing?

More insight from Luann’s joyless friend? woo-hoo

It’s not that she’s telling Luann something she doesn’t want to hear. It’s that she’s mocking her. That’s the problem.

Sarcasm is not sophisticated. Even children use it. Bernice is a drag who has mocked Luann since forever. Anyway, I rather doubt this trip will happen!

Time will tell, but probably not.

As long as the parents are footing the bill, that “18” she refers to is just a number…

I have to side with Luann on this. Could it possibly be that Bernice is a tad jealous that Luann has a partner and that she is able to go on “wild adventures?” Could it be that Bernice, being the eternal prude, after changing her hair style has sown all the wild oats she ever will? Could it be that Bernice, given her discomfort with her dorm mate and her friends, can’t relate to Luann, who clearly doesn’t have the emotional hang-ups that Bernice has? And lastly, could it be that Bernice has morphed into Gunther as the stick at home, let things always stay the same as Bernice heads on path to becoming the dried up, vicious, mean Librarian that no one wants to be around?

Bernice is being the best friend Luann could have at the moment. Luann just doesn’t realize it.

It rather seems to me that the first one to criticize the other’s character in today’s strip is Luann. She isn’t accepting Bernice for who she is, a rational, somewhat cynical young lady, she is demanding that Bernice be a cheerleader for her. So is the ‘Woo hoo’ comment really unprovoked?I greatly prefer Bernice and Tiffany to Bernice and Luann, the chemistry is pure magic.

It’s natural to be excited about the POSSIBILITY of an event, trip, etc. That’s the phase Luanna is in. There’s a way to be excited for, supportive of your friends without being a total drag. She could have said “Well that’s exciting…but have you thought about…” or even given her failed trip with Delta as an example of the importance of planning. I think Bernice hides her insecurity behind sarcams, though that may be getting a little too deep for “just a comic strip.”

Luann looks rather peeved in the last panel. Could she finally have had enough of Bernice’s constant sarcasm and negativity? Even the oldest of friends can have spats, or even come to a parting of the ways….

Bernice is right. Quill will be busy with his internship. Luann will be mad at Quill for spending too much time at his internship and not paying enough attention to her.

Why Doesn’t Bernie, Get Excited and be a “Friend” to You Lu??Well Probably Because YOUR Plans End Up Crashing in Flames and Smoldering on the Ground like the Hindenburg.

But by all Means, DUMP Bernice as a Friend, because You have “Plenty” of others.

There’s Delta, but She’s Across the Country at Howard, and even if She WAS Here, She Spend MOST of Her time laying some kind of “Social Guilt Trip” on ya.And there’s Tiffany but She’s HATED Your Guts Most of Her Life, Especially Now, Since She Thinks You STOLE “Her Man.”How about the New Guys at the Art Class? There’s the Neanderthal that Squirted Blue Paint on You and the One-Eyed Guy who looks like He’s about to stick a KNIFE in Your back at any second.

WAIT, There’s Crystal and Knute! But Crystal is Allied to Tiffany and Knute is a MORON. And BOTH are M.I.A.

FACE It: The One TRUE Friend You Got is Gunther, and YOU Kicked HIM to the Curb because HE Didn’t Measure Up to Your RIDICULOUS Standards. Don’t Believe Me? Go to the G-Man NOW, and Tell Him what You Told Bernie. He’ll be VERY Happy For You. And Have “Fun” Ripping His Heart Out one more Time.

BAH!!!

PS: Oh, and I WOULDN’T Alienate Your Parents Right Now if I were You. You’ll need a Place to Tearfully Return to after Pretty-Boy FINALLY and Inevitably DUMPS You…..,

Perhaps Bernice would be more excited for her if the trip was a done deal, instead of just a possibility.

Yes, Bernice is such a horrible friend because she doesn’t want Luann to think this trip is a done deal without anything confirming it yet. What was the saying? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch?

Luann doesn’t need her parents approval. However, if this internship comes through, they will probably have him sharing a room with somebody. That means Luann will need a room of her own. In NY, that costs dearly. I don’t think she has that kind of money.

Hmmm… while I tend to side with Bernice’s sentiments about Luann and her underanalyzed, underprepared for, potentially possible, maybe going to happen trip to NY, NY with bland Quill…. I do think her “woo hoo” sarcasm is a bit too heavy handed. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Bernice has been a lot more fun when she has been interacting with her college roomate, Dez, and with the various other “Dez-centric” friends. It was also quite fun, the recent arc where Bernice and Tiffany (and Luann) all got along and had fun together in Tiffany’s dorm room. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++So, again, the “woo hoo” sarcasm is a bit too much, IMHO, but it probably is simply reflecting a bit of tiredness from Bernice in having yet another rather “over-the-top” scenario that Luann is envisioning without any sort of effort to even potentially have it become a workable reality.

The paintings that were Luann’s homework but Luann wanted Bernice to do some of the work?

Out here we have a name for people like Bernice: Buzz Killer

Berniece didn’t let Luann explain her plans. She assumes that the plan wasn’t thought out. Where is Quill going to stay in New York? He knows Luann will have a place to stay.

Perhaps Bernice is just a tad jealous because she has no one herself…or perhaps she wants to be to Luann what Quill is to Luann?

Bernice is a sarcastic person. But Luann did keep calling out for her to show some excitement. Bern couldn’t show an overflow of enthusiasm for this, as it’s not how she feels about it. – She’s trying to explain to Luann that she can’t be psyched for this thing. She’s showing that at best, it would seem “half-hearted” from her, and trying to convey it to Luann in her own brand of humor.

Also, if it were just an attempt to “spit on her parade float”, then it would have been accompanied by a bunch of other facial and verbal expressions. But so far, this week, Bernice has just been trying to explain to Luann what she has gathered from this, is that Luann is getting excited over just an aspiration, and not sure plans.She is just simply trying to point that out, still.

Luann, who is stuck at a local community college, finally sees a chance for some adventure … and a NYC visit would be an eye-opening learning experience as well. Yes a successful life requires some caution, but also requires taking some risks. Go away Bernice, you’re just a bummer who likes to rain on the parades of others.

And seems to be the counterpoint to Bernice’s “cautionary take”, which is what some have been saying….. this point/counterpoint at least seems to be what Greg is going for, so far….

“I’m 18, Bernice; I have never thought anything through!”

Luann says it all in the second panel. Yeah, Bernie, why CAN’T you EVER be just a good friend and be excited for her??? Reality will hit anyway, jwhy can’t she just be quietly supportive for once?

This would actually be a good segue into the reality of having friends as you grow older, sometimes, you just grow apart and go separate ways.

I wouldn’t exactly call that an insult. The paintings portray Luann doesn’t know how to see herself, Dez is being described as comfortable in her own skin. Though if you want to go this route shall we dig up Luann’s comments to Bernice about her makeover?

Whoa, apples to oranges. The internship might not even happen yet Luann wants Bernice to be happy for her to go cross country for 10 days with no realistic way to afford it short of going to her parents. Hey, like everyone else has said… She’s 18, why should logic and realism ruin her fun.

Luann needs a makeover, she is one ugly chick. Bernice doesn’t have lips either, but at least, she’s cute.

If you want some positive support, why would you go to Debbie Downer?

“. . . it takes a true friend to tell you what you do not want to, but oh so desperately need to, hear.”I agree, RW. Bernice could be more tactful, but she tells Luann things that she needs to consider.

Huh… so Tiffany wants a pat on the back for doing a good job giving her a make over… but you fault Bernice for not showering Luann with accolades for her paintings….

Their lives are diverging. Both have good points.1. Luann wants high school enthusiasm for her dream2. Bern both has become accustomed to counseling and also may be a bit jealous of her childhood friend’s adventure.*Agreed, this might be the start of a new stage in their friendship. Will they actually have a spat that separates them for a while?

You’re right, it does tend to be a repetative cycle at best. I guess the only straight up friendship we’ve seen is Knute and Crystal.

“Who would want a friend like that? .

“Hey, Quill and I are leaving tomorrow for Disney World!”. “Oh, well it could thunderstorm and the park would be closed.”“Yeah, well, we would just go the next day then.”“It could storm for days. You could die on a ride. It’s really expensive. Haven’t you thought anything through?”

^In your scenario, Luann and Quill would be leaving for Disney World. If we applied the premise for this week’s arc, however, Luann and Quill would be jumping up and down that they thought about the fact that they want to go to Disney World, together, which is basically what’s going on, here. Quill wants to get accepted into the internship program, He wants Lu to join him, Lu wants to go….not “It’s all set, and we’re just waiting to go!”

“just like I fault the entire cast for insulting Tiffany every chance they get. "^And how about whenever Tiffany insults the entire cast? – (In this area, there are no “innocent victims”. They all are “guilty” of it…)

And pretty interesting, considering you were wishing for a “shake up”, to "make things interesting. One would think that you would be “rooting” for some sort of “blow up”…..

I see Bernice and Luann drift apart and making new friends who are more their types. Childhood friends drift apart when they become adult and outgrow each other.

And lest we forget: –

– Or this.. – – – Or this… – – Hmm… wonder why after all the “mean routine”, they are all still friends?……

“I would love a blow up; then Luann could make some new friends instead of spending her free time driving to Moony to hangout with a “friend” that insults her every chance she gets.”^You mean, instead of always fighting with Tiffany, who seems to “always get the shaft of the sword”, from Luann, in your previous estimation?

Bernice isn’t being a conscience or a logician. She’s just talking down to someone she considers to be her inferior, just a ‘clown’. Not the way you treat someone you think of as a friend…

Maybe Bernice finally realizes that Luann is incredibly immature, ignorant, and lacks basic survival skills for real life. She a dreamer, but not in a good way. She’s a clueless 18 yo who has to learn everything the hard way. I know someone like that and they’re now 38, in the middle of a 2nd divorce with two kids, a crummy job, a bankruptcy, and living back home with her parents. This is exactly how I see Luann in 20 years….

-“However, it is a valid point that she could also show a bit more enthusiasm for her friend’s possible opportunity”_^Well, I believe that there would be, had there been a trip all set and in place. Luann expected Bernice to be excited for a possible trip, as it was on her mind in this way, but as she should have reallized, that’s not how Bernice is wired. She needs to see that there’s something to get excited about. – Now, maybe if Luann had said this in such a way so as to “qualify” her excitement as being just a prospect, but a hope she has, then maybe Bern would have been excited, or maybe not… but there still is that outcome that could be expected, if she were to say it in such a manner….

LOL!

Dave53…. I think Luann’s near rant of “I’m 18!! etc.” is in keeping with her somewhat petulant, somewhat immature approach to the whole thing at this time. She is just (IMHO) spouting the “I’m 18!! etc.” as a form of her own personal bravado. Once she gets a chance to think through the reality (as presented by Bernice and also her own self-realization), she will see that she has to do a lot of leg work to even have a remote chance at this happening.

She’s just jealous. Can’t say I blame her, actually … While Luann’s going to be living it up taking romantic walks in Central Park, she’s probably going to be hunched alone over textbooks or slaving away at some dismal Mcjob.

hasn’t anyone ever been excited about the possiblity of something happening? sometimes the fun part is actually envisioning all the things that could or that you want to happen. eventually reality will set in when you actually have to do some planning but can’t she at least have this little bit of excitement before Bernice craps all over it.

Of the 2. I’d rather date Bernice. Good head on her shoulders (today’s strip), but willing to go with the flow (The recent story arc with Baz), diligent and hard-working with an honest look to the future. She knows that there isn’t a free ride. Hmmmm. Sounds a lot like my wife, lol.

Time to dump Bernice..She (Bernice) has been far less realistic with boyfriends than Luann..Bernice tried to get married when she was 16. Actually proposed, and scared him off !

If there is any trip, Nancy will insist on going.

How much would a Hotel room cost for 10 days in New York ?

Why all the hate towards Bernice? A real friend is the one who tells you the truth you need to hear. I’ve had some valuable Bernices in my life, and honestly, when I ignored them and the consequences rained down on me, they were still there for me, while it was the ones who encouraged me to be stupid who turned their backs on me. She’s a keeper.

“I think it’s mostly jealousy; Luann goofs off a lot yet gets all the guys and has hidden savant talents, while Bernice works hard all the time and gets no interest from boys nor does she have any talents besides studying.”

This is the perfect characterization of Bernice. I believe I was the first one several weeks (months?) ago who mentioned that Bernice may be envious of Luann, and now many people are coming to this conclusion. It seems obvious to me that envy is what motivates Bernice, or why else would she be such a killjoy with her supposed best friend? Luann needs to find a new BFF.

One day Bernice is going to wake up and realize she has no friends, no interests, no husband, and no kids. All she’ll have is her sarcasm.

No, GL means the time when Bern and Tiffany were planning that party and Tiff let her stay in her room while “StarHead” (Piro) was "Zonk’ed out…

Since GL is a big fan of the Tiffster…

Ha ha ha!!!!

Q: Some have said this is a difference between women and men. Women just want affirmation from most of their friends, while men want analysis and feedback from friends. Is thiis accurate, in the whole?

Luann has put no thought into what she’ll be doing while Quill! is fulfilling the requirements of his internship.Moping around whatever place they’ll be staying in should not be an option.BTW: I assume this is Evan’s tie-in to the Luann Musical , yes?

-no, the real problem is that all Luann can think about is “Oh boy, I’m going to spend two weeks in New York with Quill-I agree with Caldonia. I think the real problem is that Bernice is continuing a long standing response to Luann that involves belittling anything that Luann is doing (such as asking her what she thinks she’s learning from an art assignment given by her teacher, as if to suggest that Luann can’t possibly be learning anything).-Bernice constantly tells Luann that she, Luann, is a person of little ability and less value. -I can’t understand why Luann keeps trying to have a friendship with someone who has so a low opinion of her as a person. She deserves better.

True Dat.

I’m the original; I turned the avatar upside sown for April Fool’s Day and kinda liked it.Meh.

I think Luann should go. It’s only for ten days, and it will be a good experience for her.

“Do you have any ID?”-——————————————-I’ve worked with this guy, he’ll vouch for me.

Bernice and Luann continue to get along (i.e. be friends) because opposites attract. Bernice is attracted to Luann’s impulsive nature (something she lacks) and Luann is attracted to Bernice’s super logical approach to everything. Maybe they need each other to make the right mix of the two.

Okay, is Luann a little carried away with excitement? YESDoes she need to think this trip through a bit more? YESDoes she need to consider the details a bit more? YES

Is it necessary for Bernice to remind her of this the second she bursts through the door all excited to share her news? NO!!!! The trip won’t be happening for at least two more months. Luann has plenty of time to come back down to Earth, with Bernice’s help if needed, before then. It just seems a little mean-spirited that Bernice just has to break out the wet blanket 30 seconds into the conversation.

“That was from September 28, 2014”

One of the cutest strips ever!

Bernice is someone who can’t even control her own dorm room, but she knows how Luann should run her life?

I tend to agree with Luann.

“. . . the ‘rents may balk at letting her go, especially if it’s wth Quill.”

Yeah, you’re right. But I have a feeling they’ll say yes.

@JPW “Perhaps this is why many posters think that Gunther and Luann are meant for each other — because “opposites attract”?”

That’s a good point, and maybe too since they’ve been reading the strip for so long, they are just so emotionally invested in the relationship happening.

“Sometimes, it’s just “one of those days”…hey, you’ll survive it! ;”

It’s a good day, I just can’t seem to type very well! I used to type out at 90 to 100 wpm back in the day. I have lost some speed through the years, but I’m still pretty fast! Lol :)

Opposites, in fact, do attract, in human relationships. But it all depends on who those people are. Some are just content with the “same ol’, same ol’”. Some really thrive on the “challenge”, so to speak, of someone who takes you out of your “comfort zone”, from time to time….

the big"IF" lingers on……

-Perhaps this is why many posters think that Gunther and Luann are meant for each other — because “opposites attract”?-And we saw how well that worked with Rosa and Gunther. No, many posters here think that G and L will end up together because they believe that this is what Mr. Evans wants. They believe he identifies with Gunther, and he wants G to end up with the girl…