Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 23, 2016

We all draw a blank on this, Pru. Not just you.

Prudence is speechless, Leslie. Cannot wait to hear her and the other guys’ response to how he was able to afford it.

She looks scared. And she should. There’s more red flags waving here than at a 1950’s Kremlin parade.

I think the comic censor removed Pru’s exclamation.

Leslie goes ballistic in 3…, 2…

Oh boy……… wonder how he’ll take it when she reveals to him that she’s a dyke?

Leslie looks strangely sincere. Could it be he really was trying to be nice????

Well if NOTHING Else, Pru from what I see here, You DEFINITELY got the BEST “Gift.”

I can’t wait to read the next few episodes. Several months ago, I complained that the strip was in a boring phase. But this is absolutely over the top, and has us all on the edge of our seats!!!

I have to wonder if Leslie is aware of Pru’s orientation? and if not how’s he going to handle it when he does find out?. This could go sideways real quick.

A scorpion will always be a scorpion.

Just ask he frog.

Whatever is going on, TJ, the master con, will have a blip on his scam radar.

I think the blank caption from Pru is inviting us to think of one. Maybe, “I don’t know how or where you got this – but take it back!!!”

An elaborate plan, or a misplaced attempt at romance? I have to go with the latter, Les simply isn’t intelligent enough tocome up with such an elaborate criminal scheme, this is the guy who was too afraid of imaginary security cameras to beat up Gunther!

Haven’t Pru’s lip always been rendered as black previous to this strip?

I smell trouble.

@argy.bargy2

from 12/19:

@Wizardgoat

I’m interested in the fact that so many of us think this arc is going to be about whether Les is trying to be a better person, and you think it’s about him trying to have a relationship with a woman who has told at least two others in this ’toon that she is a lesbian…-

…Still not convinced???

Les is gay an wants Pru advice about coming out to the group . Yah I don’t buy that either .I used to think TJ was the bad news but this guy is,Bad Bad bad all around Maybe.

I suppose his caring even a little is a start.

I don’t think the comic sensor removed Pru’s exclamation. I think the blank bubble refers to that she IS Literally Totally Speechless. I also like the idea that Greg might be inviting the fans to " draw" their own conclusion of her words. Either way, I like it and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Pru is literally speechless, in manga, they use a speech bubble with “…..” in it to mean the same thing

When she finally tells him, that she’s a lesbian, will he respond with the “I can make a REAL woman out of you!”, BS?

As a guy who had an ongoing thing with a lesbian for 10 years, I can assure you, they can fall in love with men, but, it was as if we had an emotional wall between us. (I’ll never do THAT again!)

It’s Greg’s annual “Let the readers fill in the dialog” strip!

Once he finds out his beloved bats for the other team, I’m guessing Les becomes even more of a reprobate.

Why does Ox have more detail drawn in his ears than the other characters?

oh boy, Leslie is in for a let down.

You do realize he probably stole some of the money from Brad and Toni’s wedding…

Had a similar situation where I worked, Girl Loved This Guy! Guy loved Guys too!

Is this like fill in the blank, or something?

wow! I didn’t think he was hitting on pru(ne)! she doesn’t swing his way, so hence the blank cloud. stay tuned! can’t wait to see what’s next.

I feel sorry for Les. He’s obviously smitten with Pru; but, he won’t get the response he wants. Then there is the question of how he was able to afford the necklace.

Honestly think this is a scam to get Pru kicked out of a job. Sounds silly, but we all still ask “What is Step 1?”

So what will eventually become of the necklace? returned to Leslie? Returned to the shop, and the proceeds donated to charity? It’s tainted from the stolen / conned monies that were used to purchase it, so somehow that must be set right.

Does he not know she’s a lezbo?

Les could probably be even more of a reprobate, had he stolen the jewelry and pocketed the stolen cash.

This will not end well.

Wait — wasn’t this supposed to be a secret Santa thing? Then why do they all know who got what for whom? That isn’t supposed to be how it works. Greg, you slipped up!

Proverbs 1:19: Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. Nothing good comes from ill-gotten gains.

Christmas Backfire in 3… 2… 1…

I would have given her a pearl necklace

Les looks like he really expected his supervisor to be grateful!

I’d be speechless too if given an expensive necklace from someone I barely knew. I love the gifts TJ and Ox got for each other and the joy they expressed in receiving them. That’s the spirit intended.

your original lickety split was much funnier. I would argue that just because the writer knows she is gay does not necessarily mean that all characters in the strip know

But maybe she’s like me— can’t tell expensive jewelry from costume jewelry (although the box would be a give away)

This kind of rude awakening/shock to the system will be a good thing for Leslie

Replies from yesterday for ARGYTHREE and KEN:

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Argythree, thank you for your note yesterday, and you have my sympathy for all you are going through.

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Ken, you are misremembering. TJ NEVER put his hands over his ears. He filled a garbage bag as a pot was simmering in the background in the truck, walked out the garbage – still looking completely normal, and then the truck exploded behind him with him looking completely startled. They even have his hat fly off his head. Date: Published 2014-08-01.

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http://www.gocomics.com/luann/2014/08/01

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will take you directly to it.

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On the next day’s strip he looks like a burden is off his shoulders and since he hated the food truck it really was, plus he came close to dying so there would naturally be a huge relief in that, but there is no putting of hands over ears or anything else to visually signal that TJ knew the truck would blow up. Quite the opposite in the images, actually.

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Yinz sure do have an interesting way of communicating…

Pru may be amenable to trying a walk on the wild side now and then, you never know. It does happen in real life, you know.

But Les in Love? You never know, maybe this’ll improve him in some way.

Dang, too many “knows” in that one.

When Speechless Pru regains her voice, I would expect her words to be as kind and tactful as she can summon—because that is how I view her character from everything we have seen of her.

Boy I know you look at porn—carpet munch bunny indeed—to use that term in a family strip blog. To me its NOT funny. It’s like calling me a jungle bunny, and being a Black American male, I have been called that, and it is extremely demeaning.

Okay, so I was wrong about Les putting his name on all the slips. Love Pru’s reaction.

Yikes. Dude, it’s lesbian, not Les be in.

TEMPLO S.U.D. said,

“Prudence is speechless,”

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my interpretation of it too.

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The other gifts were good too.

Brdshtt said,

@Brdshtt“And, now that i know my wife better, I lavish her with gifts. A wheelbarrow, a shovel, real leather work gloves, a nice vacuum cleaner… Oh, the list goes on and on.”

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You romantic, you!

Super awkward, especially in front of everyone. The best way for Pru to handle this is to assume it is fake jewelry that cost $20 and thank Les for it.

Pru would probably have a speechless bubble over her head even if a female casual friend surprised her with a $350 piece of jewelry. But the orientation mismatch makes it more fun!

For some men, any kind of friendship or sincerity is interpreted as a romantic invitation. Too early to know if Les falls in that category, but his facial expression does seem hopeful, or he is mentally moving on to step 3.

Pru is very friendly and outgoing. She must have a girlfriend that we have not heard about. If Les asks Pru on a date, she can just say that she has a girlfriend. All she has to say now is Thank You.

I though everyone knew Pru was a lesbian. Apparently not. Unless he’s dumb enough to think he can change her mind. Sorry, pal. Doesn’t work that way.

First of all, everybody is assuming he is using the money he, er, “collected” in the name of charity. For all we know, that money is still around somewhere (and not in a jewler’s safe).

Second, how convenient – the “secret Santas” were paired off. That “should” happen only 1/3 of the time with 4 people where you can’t draw yourself. Yes, a couple could switch with each other, but that implies that everybody knows who everybody else drew.

luannfan1212 said,

@StoicLion

“he stole it from a charitable collection he was overseeing. This is not a romantic thing whatsoever.”

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Romance and lawlessness aren’t mutually exclusive.

Sure he done bad but he did it to win her heart.

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For that matter, she may come to love the creepy lost soul, just not in a sexual manner.

She’s a very loving child.

actually it was never firmly established tht ANY money was stolen. Only heavily implied

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^REAL CLASSY… NOT

Either Pru is speechless or they had to bleep out her comments!

Pru looks surprised, although, due to her lack of eyebrows, she always looks that way

I must say that every time I see Pru I wonder whether she bases her fashion style (particularly hair) on Katherine Hepburn from her Philadelphia Story period.

I sure hope Pru doesn’t get accused of stealing the money.

Maybe both of them will find redemption from their evil ways?

I always have the opposite happen in gift exchanges. They tell us to spend $10-$15 and I get a $5 gift.

If I remember right Pru told Luann she was gay, guess he never got the news.

kauri44 said,

@Mikeyj

“I know someone who would get personally offended if you called her a bisexual, even though she had had committed relationships with both men and women.”

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Doesn’t sound TOO committed.

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My cousin’s widow maintains she isn’t lesbian, just happens to be in love with a person who is a woman.

Makes sense.

Most women are extremely loveable — like female versions of me.

argy.bargy2 said,

@SukieCrandall

“I’ve found that people seem to confuse sociopath and psychopath, but the scientists see a difference.”

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They do and and they don’t. Consider WebMD:

“You may have heard people call someone else a “psychopath” or a “sociopath.” But what do those words really mean?”

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“You won’t find the definitions in mental health’s official handbook, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Doctors don’t officially diagnose people as psychopaths or sociopaths. They use a different term instead: *antisocial personality disorder.” *

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“t’s not easy to spot a psychopath. They can be intelligent, charming, and good at mimicking emotions. They may pretend to be interested in you, but in reality, they probably don’t care.”

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" “They’re skilled actors whose sole mission is to manipulate people for personal gain,” Tompkins says."

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“Sociopaths are less able to play along. They make it plain that they’re not interested in anyone but themselves. They often blame others and have excuses for their behavior.” "

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/sociopath-psychopath-difference

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dhg again,Notice it says they don’t but then they proceed to explain the difference.

Also notice how both types could explain recent presidential candidates despite how many supporters each had and still has.

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One acted concerned and showed signs of manipulativeness.

The other kept flying off the handle.

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Sociopaths are safer since they are more careful about their killings — if any.

(I just realized a nephew of mine is a psychopath — good thing he’s safely in prison.)

Olongapojoe said,

“If I remember right Pru told Luann she was gay, guess he never got the news.”

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She did February 23, 2016.

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It is possible Luann has not socialized much with Leslie despite his sparkling personality.

might interest:

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1476179308000037

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Abstract: Psychopathy has been characterized as a psychiatric disorder consisting of emotional deficits (shallow affect, remorselessness, and lack of shame), antisocial behaviour (impulsivity, irresponsibility, and poor behaviour controls), and interpersonal features (conning/manipulative, superficial charm, and pathological lying). In this article, structural and functional imaging findings on psychopathy are reviewed and several hypotheses are provided with regard to the neural bases of psychopathy. It is proposed that the emotional deficits are associated with impairments in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), amygdala–hippocampus complex, and the insula, whereas antisocial behaviour may be linked to deficits in the OFC, ACC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and superior temporal gyrus. On the other hand, differences in the white matter of the OFC, ACC, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex may contribute to the pathological lying behaviour often seen in psychopathic individuals. A discussion is also presented on the topic of successful vs unsuccessful psychopaths, suggesting the absence of brain abnormalities, particularly in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, in successful psychopaths, and how these findings have furthered our knowledge of the neuropathology underlying psychopathy.

That is 8 years old. There are studies on this done since, but life is strange here right now. Even just the abstract gives an idea of a type of work going on in recent years. Of course, abstracts are written to be shared summaries so it shoukd. Carrying abstracts of scientific papers is completely acceptable and expected, so is not questionable in relation to copyright. Now, if i had carried the discussion, the conclusions, or other parts of the paper then that woukd be a different matter.

If Les was going after the business, the target would be Luann NOT prudence

Uh Oh. I don’t think Leslie knows that Pru ’isn’t into guys’.

Out of here until December 26, so let me be the first to say,“Happy Hanukkah!!!” and “Merry Christmas!!!” May your holidays be bright, your family gatherings peaceful, and your food delicious.

And may your scripture be read and understood.

Is he in for a real let down!!! Happened to me years and years ago. Fortunately no gift was involved. First time I had dated a lesbian. Nice woman, though.

To me it seems that if Al Grey still works there it would be logical for Pru to talk with him about this as both Les’s uncle and the Fuse manager. Al knows Les’ circumstances and i suspect that he can be pushed just so far if he winds up figuring that someone he was helping has taken advantage of the situation. After all, he survived in a hard business before this. Are we to see Les told that if he can’t cut it then he had better volunteer for military service where he will HAVE to cut it?

Les is not asking Pru out in today’s strip, just exchanging a “$20” gift with her. She only needs to say Thank You. If he does ask her out then she can deal with that. And I don’t see any way Pru could be accused of stealing any money. Ox and TJ just saw Les give Pru the necklace.

Apparently psychopaths can be CEOs, and never get into legal trouble. Not all are Ted Bundys. So Les may well lack an ability to imagine other people’s feelings, and see every event as promoting his success and impeding it, and yet be harmless in a way.

I don’t suppose anybody would read this far, but life is not binary. Yes, there are 100% homosexual and 100% heterosexual people, but there’s also a whole range in between, and not just bi people who would be equally happy with either. There are also people mostly aligned one way or the other but who sometimes develop feelings different from their usual orientation. In fact, that’s what the rainbow-fact originally was supposed to celebrate—the full spectrum of human romantic experience.

Call me when it’s over redux.

When the old Christmas Grab Bag turns creepy….

Thundering silence from Pru. Enjoy your moment Crooked Knox.

This, too, shall pass.

In IamJayBluE’s absence, I offer:

“Mug Shot”

“Shirt Tale”

“The Big Cat In The Hat”

“I’ve Got Rox On My Head”

“There’s Something I Want To Get ON My Chest”

“Suits Me To A Tee”

“Words Fail Her”

“Tee J”

Schrodinger’s Dog said,

@DavidHuieGreen

“DHG, there really was no reason to bring politics into your exposition.”

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No particular reason, it just struck me upon contemplation.

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It also strikes me that it would be useful if we could clearly see those around us,

not making saints of sinners

or gods of mortals.

kauri44 said,

@DavidHuieGreen

“She didn’t have the relationships with men and women at the same time. She was a serial monogamist.”

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I was cogitating on the word “committed” in the concept.

I have not had time to be online much today so have not even read the comments, but a totally different option struck me. I consider it unlikely but it woukd be good feeling. Apologies if someone else already said this today. If Pru winds up uncomfy with it, what if Les says, “Well, you coukd return it and use the money for the children’s program”. If so, there are many points he did not think through but it might be a way to ultimately funnel the money where it belongs.