Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 10, 2015

New poll up: Does Bernice protest too much?

Is your Christmas wish online?1) 15 votes – No, it’s too crass and impersonal2) 13 votes – Other3) 9 votes – No, I don’t do Christmas4) 5 votes – Maybe… why are you asking?5) 3 votes – Yes, and so is everyone else’sOther: There is absolutely nothing I want or need, so no list for me!; Good Lord NO! Narcissistic and egotistical!; The only thing I want for Christmas is my husband and something hand made by him; No, my parents took out a business loan so I don’t want them buying me anything; Nobody buys me presents except my Mommy; No. I don’t take the time to figure that out; I don’t have a list; No, unless you’ll send me a gift!; Nope, I’d rather do it on real paper; I could do a Pagan Winter Solstice wishlist if I knew what to wish for; No, but I bought my Christmas list online!; I don’t need xmas because I can buy what I want when I want; Its Christmas already?; Yes, and so are my children’s and grandchildren’s. I suggested it years ago, and it has worked well for all of us.

The wrong person is studying to be a counselor…

Puh-leeeezzzze!

“I’m a failure as RA!”

Why yes, yes you are, Bernice.

Bernice needs someone else to talk to. Maybe not Dez, but I’m sure definitely not Tiffany. Maybe Luann or even Piro himself.

I think you’ve gotten way out ahead of the plot line. We don’t yet know for sure that Piro IS homeless (although some of us, like me, suspect that.) And it isn’t his possible homelessness that appeals to Bernice, since she obviously hasn’t figured out that he might be homeless…

This is perfect training to be a counselor—she’s learning humility. Better she should confront her hypocrisy now than graduate with it intact.

Awww… this is so adorable. Bernice has a little crush <3

Yes, B. does like him …

NO romance in your game.

Dez has become genuinely useful. She has the insight and the guts to tell Bernice like it is, and help her work through it.……….I think?

Berneice is going to have a baby when she sees Piro walking out of Tiff’s room in the AM.

There should be no rules. Freedom is more important than anything else.

Will we ever find out why Piro is called Piro? Maybe he’s homeless cause he burned it down?

Piro is Italian: probably from Sicilian piro ‘pear tree’.

However, the other residents have names like “Hair” “Viper” and “Chug” so I would guess Piro – Pyro is more relevant.

I thought Piro was a student? All this may mean is that he does not have enough $$$$ for student housing.

Bernice-Biro-Tiffany

Caught! Admit it, Bernice: first and foremost, to yourself. You do like Piro (and, no, you are not “betraying” Gunther). Then to your insightful roomie, Dez, and then to the world.And, somewhere along the line, apologize to Tiffany for all your maliciousness toward her….

Uh, Gunth? You getting this?

Dez is just the right person to confront Bernice now. She figured out immediately what happened and is asking the rightr questions. She’s turning into my favorite character.

Typical teen relationship where the good girl falls for the loser. Move on folks, nothing to see here.

Ugh, TYPICAL.

Babes ALWAYS go for the “Odd, Different, Kinda Dark, Very Quiet, Homeless, Potentially DANGEROUS, but not Really My TYPE,” Studs.

Well, You “Woman Up” and tell Gunther so He doesn’t Waste His Time with You.

Lord Knows, the Poor SAP has SUFFERED Enough Heartbreak Already…..,

I’m leaning towards Piro’s family being founding fathers of the school and rich as all heck.

Time for Dane to reappear

I think Bernice and Gunther would be a better matchup. Past history, similar personalities, Maybe they could loosen each other up. Piro seems perfect for Tiff, dark, edgy perfect pairing with the beauty queen.

I read the first line as Rule-Spouting Ra, as in the Sun God.

oh Bern, You’re so close to being legitimate. don’t stop!

Interesting comment from Dez & response from Bernice. She does realize she is a failure as an overly strict RA. She should give up the position. If she keeps it she had better relent on scolding everyone for rule disregarding! Have a great day!

Woohoo! You tell her! Bern don’t hide it!!!

Why does Dez look so much darker in the Spanish translation of the strip?

A) He is EXACTLY her “type”, ref: wheelchair guy

B) Holy *hit, they are lining up for Bernice! She’s peaking!

C) What classes does Luann have this year anyway?

Hey, keep your eyes to yourself, Dez! (I am being sarcastic.)

7A more entertaining effort today! I like Dez more and more!

AND a loser who’ll clean out her entire college fund, follow her back to her folks’ house to live in the basement with her. LOSER!

No one’s considering the approaching 4 way relationship conundrum? Bernice like Piro, Gunther likes Bernice, Tiffany likes Gunther, Piro hasn’t declared yet but because Bernice likes him, he’ll probably have a thing for Tiffany. And hijinks ensue…

“Just wait till Bernice discovers the local homeless shelter. Will she try to date everyone there, or pick just one to love forever?”-They would have to be scowling, and avoiding eye contact and answering in monosyllables.

Bernice, Luann, and Tiffany are three of a kind – girls who for some reason believe that they need someone or something to make them OK. Delta, Crystal, and Dez are not looking for anyone or anything to “complete them.” The comic strip wouldn’t have much tension if it was all Delta, Crystal and Dez… but a little more balance would be nice.

Implausible…. I can understand your suggestion that Piro could be viewed as a “selfish jerk” because he is “mooching” off others. However, my take is a little more “forgiving” in a fashion. For me, the only thing I can say that Piro has “mooched” off of the others is a place to stay. It really incurred no monetary cost. We have seen Piro eat and drink at a party…. that is normal when invited to a party… but in none of the “sleeping over” panels has Piro mooched food or other consumables that would cost money to replace. So from that sort of perspective, I still not seeing Piro as being a “jerk” but instead just as an “interesting” kid who is doing a few “odd” things, and as the story unfolds I suspect we will like his character more and more.Again, this is just my opinion…. we could wake up tomorrow and Greg may have decided to make Piro into a “Charles Manson” sort of character…. who knows? :)

Could that star represent a war wound?

Dez is a balanced enough young woman to realize she can be very happy and engaged even though she is not dating (horrors) at the moment. Really, Bernice should have her take out her fortune-telling cards again.

Implausible said, @Tha_HypeIt’s not quite there yet.

1. Bernice likes any guy that gives her some attention.2. Gunther doesn’t like Bernice, he just thinks they’d be a good fit, like a soulless robot completing its main objective.3. Tiffany likes having a friend for once in her life.4. Piro likes finding places to sleep. . . . . -—————————————All very good points.But we know little else about Piro. There must be more.

Implausible…. again, good thoughts…. but I still see it a bit more gently:1. * “Breaking rules and risking infractions”* – yeah, you are right… but at least in my perspective as both a long-ago, former dorm resident, a long-ago, former college student, and current university professor…. that sort of “breaking (bending?) of rules” happens all the time, with minimal-to-no real consequence. Therefore, I view that is pretty much a “no cost” issue.2. “He does [dorm staying] without asking.” – and again, you are right…. he has done that one time without asking…. but it was associated with the party, and he may have been drinking (potentially a hefty amount) and may simply have fallen asleep due to intoxication without asking. That is not a good thing to do of course, but in the dorm situations I remember in the past and in the dorm situations I hear about today….. not particularly unheard of or uncommon. Again, you are indeed correct that is not the right thing to do, but in the greater scheme of things, the consequences were minor, so in this particular situation I would still say the net cost is zero or at least quite close to zero.3. “You don’t have to take on…. …. harboring others.” Again, I am in full agreement with your statement….. but I see it more “gently” in that (especially) in the last interest, Bernice chose to allow Piro to stay, and in that fashion, even to a certain level WANTED Piro to stay…. and perhaps even a bit more than just “stay”. So, in this case, I again see Piro’s action as being no cost. 4. If “Piro invites all the homeless to…. ….crash in people’s rooms” Indeed, I am in full agreement again… and in this particular case it could and probably WOULD prove very costly on several different levels. However, I am of the opinion that Piro will not do this sort of invitation to other homeless folk.

Opposites attracting?

If Piro is a student, I wonder what his major is. Psychology? This whole thing just doesn’t feel right.

I think he’s an ex army vet, who needs his scarf back!!Soon.What else did he leave in that sofa?

“….I’m just hoping we don’t get another TJ,….”-—————————————————————————————

I can’t think of two more different persons, i.e. Piro and TJ. Piro is not sly. He’s actually pretty straight forward in what he says and does. What you see is what you get… so far and I like that aspect of Piro. TJ.( on the other hand) seems a bit slick. I think he (TJ) means well as do others, but he comes across as a sly dude and he is drawn that way. I just can’t see mixing these two characters up.

Bernie really has to get out of that High School frame of mind. She’s playing in the big leagues now.

Like Dez, Piro never lies – he tells you up front that he is mooching off you. No poor me tales or an unfortunate back story, just needs a place to crash. Most towns (like ours) have very nice warming centers and free community cafes. What’s with his college dorm thing?

I tend to think Piro will not end up TJ-like in character. I don’t think the strip could handle more than one TH! :) TJ is basically an “Eddie Haskell” characterization.

If Greg’s goal is to make EVERYONE in the strip extremely unlikable, he is well on his way. I hate Quill’s complete lack of depth, Luann’s attitude in almost EVERY aspect, and Bernice is just a … well, fill in the blank. Ugh. Make the strip about Brad and Toni and get rid of everyone else.

I see Piro as a “force of nature” kind of character that all of us eventually come across in life. What you see is what you get. If you kick him out, he’s fine with that too. Kind of a mooching zen buddhist.

SPOILER ALERT

Can an extremely reserved person do something wild and crazy, like, oh, I don’t know, ditch a full ride scholarship and run off to Peru to save the world by fixing computers in a plastic surgery clinic?