Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 03, 2021

When I mentioned the Fuse in conjunction with Tara, I meant her working there, not “crashing” there.

“Living” in the Fuse’s storeroom is an appropriately silly idea, sure. But at least Tara won’t have to worry about produce and dry goods, “getting all up into her business.”

And it seems that Miz Starr is no “stranger” to the Fuse and she actually “Loves” the place:

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2017/09/06

The next burning question is, “Who” is going to “accidently discover” Tara living in the storeroom first?

1) Nancy?

2) Les?

3) TJ?

4) Ox?

5) Tiffany?

I’m hoping #2 but I got a BAD feeling it’s gonna be #4.

you learned from the best, Luann

Luann is going to burn tonight!

And eventually Tara lends her key to….

Yes, Luann! You’re getting as bad as Tara. With what Luann knows about Tara’s history, wild life proclivities, risk-taking behaviors, etc. I just cannot understand this sort of un Luann-like behavior from GnK!

Bernice followed them; moral dilemma ensues.

Luann, Tara is going to corrupt you. Looks like your dad, not Frank but Greg, wants to abandon the good girl persona because it makes you boring. Or is this a coming-of-age arc where Luann decides she does not have to be her parents’ daughter but her own person with separate values and ideas from them? If so, I am afraid she is adopting Tara’s instead of developing her own. Bernice is already a goody-two-shoes so Luann is not gonna model herself after her. Bets? Too wrapped up in Gunther, perhaps. Tiff – no, not her nemesis. So that leaves…Tara. Oh Greg, it is time to introduce another female character who is average but can be wee rebellious but NOT on the Tara scale.

Our Luann just gets dumber and dumbest.

Luann you are doing wrong and everything will end doubly bad for you, also Bernice was right when she took out Tara, that girl is bad news!

No good can come from this. Any indication of missing supplies will fall on Tara. Deservedly or not.

Not wanting to bore everyone with info about building and zoning codes, but, long story short, the reason why people aren’t supposed to live in commercial buildings is that they aren’t built to the same fire code standards as residential buildings. Meaning, if a fire starts and someone is living in a self-storage warehouse, or the storage area of a restaurant, that person will have a lot less time to evacuate safely…

Luann, if you give Tara the keys to that business, you would have to be dumber than Hell. Of course, if you are starting to think like Tara, and join the ‘Dark Side’, you could always say Tara picked your pocket and took the keys without you knowing – you had no idea she was holed up in there. With Tara’s previous history, that would not be hard to convince everyone. That would be a good way to get back at her for referring to you as “TeachAss” in front of the class. Instead, do yourself a favor and pitch the b!+¢# before this gets too far out of hand.

For once, I agree with Tara.

And with everyone else who said that Tara would be a bad influence on Luann.

Not looking like a pleasant ride.

Yeah, no, that’s pretty dumb, girls. (The bot strikes again!)

I wonder how good the security system is at the fuse.

And …. Tara decides to cook dinner and burns down the aptly named Fuse. I’m not sure I want to read this. I want teenage angst, not grown-up tragedy. And there’s no way this ends well. Bummer.

Tara should turn down the offer! Tell Luann to go back to the drawing board. Besides, where is Tara going to park her jeep? Better yet, get Tara a better idea like getting a job at the Fuse.

Is “bad” really bad? Felonious? Malice aforethought? Or is it more a somewhat insouciant flaunting of convention of a bright, edgy young adult, who has some major disruption going on in her life? I tend to lean toward the latter so it follows that I approve of Luann’s forgiving whatever hurt feelings she might have toward Tara for the TA art class fiasco to help Tara in a time of need. Considering the venue, the characters, the situation what could possibly happen? Oh totally wrong about Tiffany and the mansion—so far. I think it might still happen.

“Tarjay” has a nice ring to it.

So how long until Tara trips a burglar or fire alarm by mistake in the middle of the night or get caught in the restroom by Nancy or in the kitchen by TJ when she thinks everyone has gone home (someone forgets something and comes back real late to discover Tara) or have not come in yet, say, Nancy decides to go in real early or TJ gets a head start on a big catering order he picked up? Luann means well but this can go sideways in so many ways. Heck a nervous Nancy could call the police if she suspects a burglar, Tara could accidentally trigger the burglar alarm to also get the police over or even a fire alarm could go off and get Brad and Toni to come by for a visit etc…

AHA! An actual plot. It’s been so long…

The history of the Luannaverse seems to be the movement from one tempest in a tea pot to the next.

I will be very surprised if nutcases even on the scale of Luann and Tara combined will be able to disrupt that overall trajectory.

Expect huge amounts of fatuous “Sturm und Drang” to keep you reading before everything settles back to a week or two of humdrum interaction before the next tempest starts to brew.

(See what I did there?)

Dankataz brought up a good point which I forgot about. If the Fuse has a security system, Tara is going to have to know the code to disarm it every time she enters late at night after everyone leaves, else TJ or Nancy will get a call from the cops to come out to the establishment plus they will get an unpleasant call from the alarm company to give a “safe word” in case they accidentally tripped it! The cops will also start issuing fines after the first couple of false alarms. Tara will also have to arm the system every time she leaves or else arouse suspicion. Now how will Luann procure said code if she has thought this plan through, text to Pru who probably had it and hope that TJ or Nancy did not change it?

Oh no, Lu is corrupting Tara.

Hey looks like I called it. Luann’s bright idea was to hide Tara out at The Fuse.

Better than homeless, but still cramped quarters. Tara will need to roll and unroll her sleeping bag back and forth to the Jeep each day.

OK, this is just plain silly. There is no way Tara is going to be able to live in the storeroom without being quickly discovered the first time somebody goes in there for something.

Not to mention, as someone else pointed out, that it’s illegal and Frank and Nancy could get into trouble with the local health board and maybe lose their license.

What’s next? Fire? Theft?

So that way, when Tara is discovered in there and charged with Breaking and Entering, then Luann can play dumb..

The thing about storage rooms is that sometimes people need the things that are stored there.

Tara will have a party and the drinks are on the house. Will anyone save Luann? She is a terrible judge of people.

No possible way THIS could go wrong! Wouldn’t put it past Tara to invite her parole-jumping cousin over to play cards.

I sure hope Luann isn’t unknowingly harboring a fugitive.

You’d think Luann would get smarter as she ages. This is high school stupidity, not college.

Another “What could go wrong” moment ….

is there some good reason Tiff can’t offer Tara a room in le grande maison?

It’s certainly way better than sleeping in a car without a top. But even as a momentary thing, it looks really dangerous! And interesting… I don’t know if Tara will accept, but I kinda hope so. It could be the start of a mystery that Bernice would try to discover (with endless thoughts about Jack and Lauann’s secrets rendez-vous) and that can put Luann in a complicated situation with her friends and family. Go Tara! Starts to sleeping in the storage room of “The Fuse”!

THIS was Luann’s “braingasm”?

This is a terrible idea, Luann.

When discovered by TJ, it could be the beginning of an interesting relationship since TJ is also marches to the tune of a different drummer.

She is so gonna get caught.

Unless Luann is paying mortgage/rent on the place, she has no right to offer it as a hang-out, legal or not. Her parents have provided her with everything, but she flips them off by inviting a known unprincipled character to have access to their hard-earned investment.

Ha ha! Luann is such a tool! Am I the only one that thinks she displays symptoms of a serious mental deficiency? Did she get dropped on her head? Besides the obvious (children don’t have keys to adults’ businesses – especially those with partners) this is such a hairbrained storyline that it can only end up with any number of things she can be held responsible for – Theft – Fire – Damage – After Hour Parties – More of Tara’s friends/relatives moving in – Health Department Violations – Close of Business – Loss of Income – Bankruptcy for Frank and Nancy. And what a sweet deal for conniving Tara – no rent and plenty of food – the perfect criminal hangout (as it will be revealed that she is the one actually in trouble, not the supposed “cousin”). Can’t wait to see the discovery and her well deserved comeuppance. Luann’s only chance is Bernice discovering the situation and putting an end to it. This could last for years, I’m excited!

I know this is just a comic but the parent in me can’t help but be horrified over what a monumentally bad idea this is. If Luann were my kid, she would be in HUGE trouble for taking it upon herself to put my business, my income and the livelihood of every employee at risk like that. There are countless things that could go wrong including someone getting injured or even just the biz getting in trouble with the health department. The level of irresponsibility is absolutely typical for kids that age. So glad my daughters are past all that.

Tara es realmente una mala influencia para Luann y para cualquiera. No creo que esto acabe bien.

Bad, bad idea. We should have stayed with Tiffany and Ox, in the mansion, in the dark.

I wonder if the cousin was a made up story, and that it’s Tara who is fleeing the law.

When Tara starts a fire, accidentally or otherwise, and the Fuse nearly burns to the ground she will be discovered by the fire department. Luann may be putting a disastrous chain of events into motion.

The question now becomes Who has access to the storage room? I don’t see cans of foodstuffs there. It looks more like maintenance and janitorial. That makes Les, as dishwasher, a likely discoverer. TJ and restaurant manager/chef is less likely. Nancy as owner and bartender is also a prime suspect. Ox might do a clean up at table three for Tiffany and need a mop, but an Ox/Tara interaction doesn’t seem to have any unique energy to it.

Discovery will occur! We’re taking bets on who it will be and what will occur.

Most business have burglar alarms. Most businesses have video systems. Both are requirements for businesses that have a license to sell alcohol. Obviously G&K don’t work in the real world or they are blowing off facts for a story.

Sirens and flashing lights before the week is out?

It’ll be Tiff that finds her.

What if the cousin is Evil Ann? What Tara has said so far about her cousin would fit Ann.

We don’t know where Tara gets her subsistence money. No reference to any kind of job. Maybe if provided a small truck – Tara could do food & beverage deliveries for the Fuse.

This is stupid. Tara is a pointless addition to the strip, anyway. I miss Delta.

Potential legal repercussions for mom and dad if found out.

Possible Arc: This is how Tiffany will meet Tara. Tiffany may offer Tara a place to sleep at the mansion. Tiffany has shown a generous streak at times.

Luann you don’t put Tara in a room with a fuse box.

Is it possible that since Luann accessed the storage room from the outside, it only has outside access and Tara cannot get into the rest of the building?

Jeeze, it’s the plot for “The Jerk”

Ok, being someone with some years under my belt, this so stupid. Granted if you see this thru the lens of Luann’s immaturity, this makes total sense. In the end, Tara will be discovered and/or Tara does something immature herself. The Fuse burns to the ground or looses it’s insurance because people are not supposed to sleep there at night.

So Luann has keys to the Fuse? Tara has been there for the infamous lingerie party. Like I said yesterday, this will not end well. While Luann’s intentions are good, this is a dumb idea. Even from a liability standpoint, it’s stupid. Five employees who may frequent the storage room plus deliveries, hardly “private” and won’t be a secret for long. Someone will have some ‘splaining to do, Lucy!

I see a fire happening soon at the Fuse…or some other calamity.

The health inspector may not like it either!

There goes the payroll!

Does no one who works at the Fuse ever go to the store room?

This plan has disaster written all over it. In big block letters…

This is what comes of a braingasm!!!!

Tara will rob them blind!

Oh, Luann. I can’t even begin to count the ways in which this is a bad idea. What the h-e-double-toothpicks are you thinking?? Tara and her cronies are going to rob you blind. And, excuse me, but what about all the employees of the Fuse who walk into and out of the storage room on a daily basis? And who is going to find her first? Tiffany, of course. Oh, Lu, Lu, Lu, this is going to come and bite you in the butt.

At the risk of repeating myself, “oh-oh.”

There is now way this could go wrong!

What could possibly go wrong???!!!

Note that Greg and Karen have Luann acknowledging that this “bright idea” would NOT be OK with her parents, yet she’s going to do it anyway.

What the H -E – DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS kinda message is that to send out ??? !!!!!!!!!

Even Tara has the sense ask Luann if this arrangement would be all right with her parents. And it doesn’t make sense that Tara should have to move out of her apartment. Her cousin’s problem with the law is not hers. Why does Tara have to leave in secret? Not wanting to live with her cousin is not a reason to go homeless. If Luann wanted to help she would try to talk Tara into staying in her apartment until a better option was available. Instead she’s on a rampage of stupidity; right now Luann is being totally thoughtless, showing no consideration for Frank and Nancy and their business, the business that actually pays some of HER expenses.

Braingasm? No, Luann. That is a brain fart. Learn the difference.

It would be refreshing if Tara said, “Thanks, but no thanks. Sleeping in a storage room is way too creepy.” I cannot believe just how stupid Luann is. Good heart, but no brains. It’s like what level earthquake on the Richter scale is this disaster going to be?

Ooo! Wicked Luann! “As bad as Tara”! Well, maybe in her own mind; but I really don’t expect uptight Luann to start going around sans underwear….

The slippery slope to destruction.