Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 22, 2021

Oh, Bernice, really?

Well, at least they’re communicating. ✨

A faint hint that Bernice acknowledges she’s human?

We can start making out again once they release you from the Sanitarium. There…parameters set!

Bernice is hot to trot! Nil should be the perfect damper for her hormone flush. After all, he’s no Quill!

eladee AKA Wally Looks like you were spot on with your comment about Bernice’s feelings. It doesn’t look like her central embarrassment is Nil as a person. Good for the both of Them.

Does anyone want to take a gander at what her goal is?? Because I am lost. Why would someone (Nil)come up with rules when they don’t see a problem? And she expects him to be more strict?

She’s going to lose Nil as Bernice’s personality is showing up too stringent for a good relationship.

As Anyface said! At least now they are communicating! Not just talking past one another.

It’s gonna be interesting to see what kinds of “parameters” they come up with! 8^ )

She might as well start stocking up on the cats now.

First rule of our Make Out Club: There are no rules.

Trust me B, u have stringent plenty covered.

Why doesn’t Bernice think they can get to know each other, and and kiss in the park?? She’s already gone to his art gallery opening. That’s a very unique way of getting to know someone. What’s juvenile about that?

Man, Greg dusted off his thesaurus for this arc!

I DON’T believe it!

Bernice is asking Nil, not only his opinion, but to take some involvement in their “relationship!”

What a Stunner!

And a refreshing change of pace from that “romance thing” featured in the last arc! ;)

Amazing revelation! He said no motel! How about no conversation about Luann?

Things are hitting the skids. Bernice is facing him with her arms crossed. Also, does her head look abnormally large in the last panel?

This would be funny if it wasn’t sad.

I’m lost I don’t know what Bernice really wants from Nil.

I love it when they talk dirty.

A mechanical relationship is what Bernice wants. No doing this and no doing that. No crossing the line even a little bit. Nil, you are going to feel like you’re bound in chains. Break free while you can.

B. is turning into a lust-bucket! ’bout time.

Lord, Bernice. Parameters? You are not in an office and Nil is not your patient. And it is you who want to set parameters therefore you start. Don’t put Nil in this position since this is your issue and your idea. And I am telling you – this won’t work.

Bernice wants to make out, but her public persona does not. They should have a make out game: when a certain word is used in conversation instead of a drink, they kiss.

Poor Nil. Those is more crazy than for which he’s ready

No means no and … Never on Sunday! ;-)

Go to the movies, or the drive in movie.

Nil should be beating his head against the nearest brick wall any moment now.

Bernice is a buzz kill and a drip.

It seem like Bernice only wants the physical relationship but not a real relationship.

Is this supposed to be a safe sex chat?? But you’ve already covered that, Mr. Evans, and every non-religious person has already decided you’re a prude!

I get it. Any time things start to go too far, just bring up Luann. No greater parameter for a buzz kill.

Lol, this is the funniest banter by far in recent memory!

Nice! Bernice admits she can’t trust herself (and her hormones) and see Nil as someone more conscious, serious and able to control himself. In short, she sees him as someone she can trust without the slightest doubt♡. Let’s hope Nil will be able to handle this responsibility.

Ok parameters… If it feels good we keep doing it. If it stops feeling good it’s time to do something else.

Hows this Bernice, stop wearing tank tops and skinny jeans.

Bernice is showing growth and it scares her. Good story arc!

Yup, they’re perfect for each other

Parameter: generally, any characteristic that can help in defining or classifying a particular system. An element of a system that is useful, or critical, when identifying the system, or evaluating its performance, status, condition. Example: activities including intellectual discussion, art appreciation, pleasurable physical touch may be included while Latvian political discussion and actual reproductivities might not be part of the system.

Perimeter: boundary beyond which being, going, doing is not permitted. Example: no exchange of bodily fluids other than saliva. No political discussion above that of dogcatcher and/or school board candidates.

Bernice, you thought kissing Nil meant you were a shameless hussy. From the sound of things you’re going to be aiming for nothing more steamy than holding hands.

Nil, walk away while you still have your sanity intact.

Communication! That’s good! Much, much better than a certain other character we know demanding that he drop everything he’s doing and bend to her will, because she says so. Good, keep the dialog going.

Get a room, Bernice.

Nil: “So you want me to tell you what to do?”

Way too complex, even when it’s making out. Warning to Nil, she may be a major pain to be with for this five minutes of pleasure. Turn and bail to save yourself a journey of headaches and pain. Is she really worth all that for just a kiss? There’s a zillion of other girls out there that’ll be far less complex and nice to be with.

Well he was the one who was unready for a hotel room. I don’t think Bernice would be as reluctant.

Wait for it. By that I mean how this part of the story arc will play out. This bewildering for Nil, it’s revealing for Bernice. Let’s see where it goes.

Well, I guess we know why Bernice is single

sigh, oh Bern, go with the flow, make out. You don’t need parameters. For the first time as a young adult you have a guy who’s into you. don’t blow your chance to have some fun, life is not all work.

Let’s keep it to the days of the week that end in Y.

No le conviene a Nil intentar tener una relación con Bernice, ella va a querer controlar cada aspecto de su vida.

I sense the start of another making out session… :D

Is Bern suggesting that she is a bad girl and Nil should punish her?

Take charge, Nil. You started this.

Bernice, do you want to be with Nil or not? If you do, forget the perimeters.

Careful Bern, you are gonna lose him.

Bernice’s weirdness is tiresome

Nothing today changes my mind about Bernice. She’s worried that she’s too horny for her own good. The problem is that setting parameters is not necessarily the same as self-control.

Simp

(Possibly) Unpopular Opinion Alert:

Bern is not worthy of anyone’s affections or love. She is controlling, manipulative, judgmental, arrogant and just not nice – and all this came out of a vacuum as the people around her from what I have seen are actually caring people (exception Luann who is very self-centered).

I think she’s the villain of the strip as she’s so easy to dislike.

Change my mind :)

You just described my dating life in 1962.

she has managed to turn a possible relationship into a business transaction. She is the poster child for uptight

OK sooo what are we talking about here ?

The problem with the Bernice character is that they have her needing to verbalize and dissect every single little minute aspect of any and all situations. If she would just keep her mouth shut and rely on her own judgement she could………….. I don’t know what I was thinking. Yes Bernice, you need a keeper. A zoo keeper.

His “paint brush”.

That is what I wish I could go back in time and tell the 17 y/o me, that girls are just as horny(er) as guys.

Poor Bernice, she is going to logic away romance instead of letting passion carry her.

Possibly they would have a better time setting parameters if they were nude.

Well, actually she keeps asking for parameters and keep asking for Nil to set them because between yesterday and today, she has mentioned twice that if it’s up to her she will be out of control.

She feels she is ready to do anything and that scares her so she needs to hear someone else set boundaries, like no making love on a park bench at noon. Then she will feel frustrated, because that’s exactly what she wanted to try, making love on a park bench at noon in front of everybody, but she will feel relieved in the knowledge she is abiding by the rules.

The irony is that she is so self conscious that the “out of control” behavior she is so afraid of is certainly not as I described above (the noon thing) but certainly quite mild and acceptable by everybody. Remember her conversation with Nancy. She just kissed Nil, nut then she described herself as a mix of Succubus and Jezabel.

Wish the writers would give Bernice a year-long vacation, somewhere out of this once fun comic strip.

Why is she dressed for summer but he’s dressed for winter?

If this ends up turning Nil into another Gunther, I’ll have a major sad.

At this point, I think that Bernice really needs to stop overanalyzing everything, loosen up, and have that big vocabulary of hers reduced to “Oh! oh!” ;-)

this self imposed abstinence is very Bernice. But I have a feeling that it will only last so long.

Lord help their kids if they ever have any……

Bernice is desperately trying to avoid taking any responsibility for what she wants. God, she’s neurotic!

I always recommended dating someone for a length of time if you think you like them enough to be considered good boyfriend, girlfriend, or partner material . Mainly because most folks are on their best behavior early in a relationship. Date long enough so all the “crazy comes out” of this person.Bernice is getting that out there right up front. Maybe Nil will be ok with it.

Let’s face it, so long as Bernice is so tightly buttoned up in her parameters and restrictions, she will never accept a free spirit. I know what she needs, but this is a family strip, so I’m not sure what will loosen her buttons. Nil may not find the value in hanging on to this relationship.

Motel room, Nil! NOW!

Nil should dump her and find a rich old widow who likes his “art”

Walk away, Nil, while you still can.

Just shaking my head. Unless Nil says the “unsaid”, this relationship is doomed.

There are a lot of couples who make agreements about sex when dating. For instance, the man would then know that he shouldn’t push the physical loving past the point where the woman would do something she doesn’t really want to do. It gives them both equal responsibility for restraint instead of it always being the woman putting on the brakes. Of course there is that eventual night when everyone forgets their good intentions and the “parameters” go right out the window! Next week we’ll see Bernice and Nil bemoaning their lack of commitment to the “rules of engagement” that they establish today. These two are so clumsy and awkward it’s actually getting pretty funny to watch. I just wish Nil would get a makeover. Cannot Greg draw two eyes? I know he can!

Run Run Run……..far away Nil.

She won’t even hold hands? Sheesh, Bern. Join a convent.

Really Nil. Your going to put up with this for just first base. Either you are deeply in love or your the biggest idiot in the Luannverse.

So she wants HIM to shoulder ALL the responsibility for them going too far?

Hope the sex is worth it, eventually.

Parameters? Ok. I’ll start. “Make out sessions at my dorm room where we’ll have more privacy and no Luann sightings.” lmao

Wow….. Just wow Bernice…..

On an attractive scale of 1 to 10, Ann Eiffel’s butt ranks higher than Bernice’s whole body.

For anyone who thinks this strip will eventually get into a mature and honest treatment of sex (as in, these young adults might one day decide to engage in it) let’s remember that Greg Evans made this:

https://imgur.com/tCpJxM3

Does Bernice really seem any more mature now than Luann did back then?

Extra points to anyone who knows how to pronounce “stringent” correctly without looking it up.

Next future theme for Nil’s next art show: Parameters. Exploring all the boundaries one can’t win at with tightly wound string.

I doubt that.

This is crazy….

Bernice is Nancy’s (remember her “not before marriage” sex talk?) long lost daughter, apparently.

Wild woman! you go Bernice!

Just how can either one of them neck without any lips anyway?

Bern is more wishy-washy than Charlie Brown.

This is a weird relationship…

If it feels go do it!

Bernice might as well start adopting cats now.

Karen evidently has a distorted view of a relationship. One of the joys of a new relationship is letting yourself go, immersing yourself within the relationship, within that new lover. NOT a relationship based upon parameters, i.e., holdbacks.

Ah, young love. I remember it well.

Bern considers herself a Slut for even Thinking about kissing.

This is so sad to me. I’m going to do some assuming here: Bernice has been so overrun with parental interference and fear (fear instilled by her parents based in “mistakes” that they have made) that she is almost incapable of being an adult without her inner parent chiming in and ruining her brain. She will grow and will eventually get there. But not without a whole LOT of therapy. It’s been my experience that the people who go into psychology, usually start out there to help them figure out their own mess inside their heads. Makes them really good at helping other people once they’ve figured out themselves (my opinion anyway – what better person to go to than someone with their own personal experience). She will be fine…eventually.

Maybe Bern and Nil could start a swingers group with the Degroots. Gunther and Bets could join in…

Talk about over analyzing things, geeezz..

OK, set parameters: Only make out during days that end with “y.”

Yeah. That’s a really good way to ruin a relationship. Plan everything. Okay, we’ll only make out on Tuesdays and maybe Thursday, between 3:00 and 5:00, unless something else comes up. Uh. No. Life, and love, doesn’t work like that. And stop lying, Bernice! Stop lying to Luann, stop lying to yourself.

Gah! Seriously, Bernie?

Get thee to a nunnery! You will never be able to keep a boyfriend….

Nil to Bernice:

Can you talk in incomplete sentences?

This is actually becoming as painful to read as the last arcs about Gunther agonizing over Bets. Is anyone happy in this ’toon?