Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

Hannelore Elicott-Chatham - The First Relationship

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BenRG:

--- Quote from: ASB84 on 22 Oct 2014, 05:12 ---The Return of Station?
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That is a good question. I am satisfied, in my own mind, that Station has feelings for Hannelore that are analogous to what a human would consider romantic attraction. Even if Hannelore isn't interested in him, we know that he is in regular contact with her and may react if she finds a human beau (or even another AI other than him).

NemoX:

--- Quote from: Gareth on 22 Oct 2014, 04:09 ---Some people are alone forever and are happy. Some people are alone forever and aren't. Some people are in relationships constantly and are unhappy. Some people are in relationships constantly and aren't.
I don't personally want QC to end up being a 'pair everyone up' situation where it all ends with all the happy couples snuggled up on one giant sofa while Yelling Bird farts a rainbow across the horizon.

Real life just ain't that simple. Hannelore simply might not get into a relationship one day. She also simply might not want one, now, or ever.

Of course, only Jeph knows for sure.

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I agree with this sentiment, however, She has indeed mentioned before how she hopes one day maybe break her issues enough that she may have a relationship with someone, and if previous actions are any indication, if she finds the right person she might go for it. She has consistently pushed her boundaries and faced her fears all thru the comic. She is the one character that puckers up and when she sees an opportunity to challenge herself, she takes it. So I don't think it's completely unreasonable to think that she might one day at least TRY.

That said, she is also the kind of person that if it fails, or never finds the right person, she is comfortable enough with herself that she can and will still be happy with her life, friends suffice. Like you said, its not for everyone, and she may never have one, but she is the kind that might at least try. Only Jeph knows for sure yeah, but I don't think its such a ludicrous idea to think it may happen, if anything for a change of pace from heavy drama to more of a rom-com kinda story.

Aziraphale:
If it happens, I would hope that it's written like the rest of the relationships in the comic so far: the relationship comes first, and the laughs arise naturally from the day-to-day relationship stuff that invariably comes up. Jeph's handled everybody else's relationships (even the ones like Sven/Faye) with a pretty high degree of sensitivity, so I can't really see him playing Hannelore's relationship, should it happen, just for laughs -- or, for that matter, just for drama. There'll be plenty of both, no doubt, but in a way that's organic to the story and the relationship itself.

Some people are perfectly happy alone, as has been pointed out. Hanners enjoys her own company, but I don't think that she's either asexual or aromantic; her lack of partners up to this point would seem to stem more from her OCD and the insecurities that it seems to have brought with it than it would from lack of desire. She's said more than once that she'd like to be "normal," and if she feels that normalcy, for her, would include a relationship with another person*, then it'd be nice to see her progress to a point where she's comfortable sticking her toe in the water.

It may seem unlikely, but if you think back to the space station storyline and look at how far she's progressed and then take that in tandem with how she's progressed since she first showed up in QC, it's not that far-fetched. Then, too, you have to consider that she's shown a great deal of insight when it comes to other people's issues; she was instrumental in helping Marigold come out of her shell and to otherwise get her act together, she's helped Marten from time to time, and she's even read Faye the riot act when it was called for. She's often able to approach her own problems with similar empathy and a sense of humor. It would take someone with a great deal of patience and kindness (like Marten, though I should be clear that I'm not necessarily shipping them), as well as Hanners learning to give herself the same kind of patience, understanding, and kindness she's shown others in the story up to this point.

*I include AIs in the "person" category here for what I hope would be obvious reasons

Storel:

--- Quote from: BenRG on 22 Oct 2014, 02:59 ---We also know that she isn't particularly good at what I think of as 'body English' - using body posture and facial expressions to communicate emotions and attitudes. You only have to look at how she traumatised Dora's poor cat!
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--- Quote from: BenRG on 22 Oct 2014, 02:59 ---I am sufficiently an old romantic that I would actually enjoy a story arc with Hannelore awkwardly trying to break the ice and develop the sort of non-verbal communication that others take for granted. The false starts, the mis-communications and the somewhat uncertain application of social cues and body language with which she isn't really familiar. It is, IMO, the logical next step in the development of the character, should Jeph choose to continue to pursue her arc (I've said elsewhere that you can make an argument that Jeph has told Hannelore's tale to the point he wants).
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Remembering her skill with the calculus of happiness, I can see Hannelore undertaking the study of body language with as much determination and scientific rigor as that. She'd read scholarly books and articles in psychological journals and throw herself into it with such (characteristic) overkill that she'd probably end up the world's greatest theoretical expert on human body language -- and still have little skill in actually applying that knowledge to her own body language. But she'd practice earnestly, probably enlisting some of her friends to critique her practice sessions ("No, a little less emphasis on the hip swings there") and start making progress in the charmingly naive way she already has in some areas. ("Yay, I hugged someone in a socially appropriate way!")

At least, that's my impression of how she'd handle it. But I think she'd only improve up to a point before something new caught her attention (like drumming did) and the practice sessions would become less frequent.

Frankly, a great part of her charm is that fact that we see practically everything she does requires a struggle to overcome her fears and neuroses and make better progress in getting along with people. If she finally accomplishes all of that and becomes a "normal woman", whatever she or Jeph or society may take that to mean, then she's just another cute girl in a strip that has several already and people would lose interest in her to some extent. So I don't think Jeph will ever have her improve to the point that she's completely normal, but I doubt he'll have her plateau at some point and stop progressing at all. I'm very impressed at how he's shown her making very slow, incremental progress -- sometimes "two steps forward and one step back" -- all this time, and yet with milestones that show us how far she's come. (Hugging her father at his birthday party was huge!)

Is it cold in here?:
Momo as a close Justafriend would make a lot of sense. Hannelore could use a social protocol database and Momo seems like a trustworthy person.

The world seems to have forgotten the idea of chaste romantic relationships. It would be a fun change of pace to see one appear in a comic series. I can imagine a very cute situation of Hannelore exchanging flowers and compliments with an asexual guy.

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