We all know it is going to come eventually.
The Return of Station?
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.
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!
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).
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.
From a personal development stand point, this seems a ways off.
The list goes on. It's enough to say she just isn't ready.
...
But that's hardly good storytelling.
The moment of truth almost has to come before she's ready. the only reasonable estimate of how close we are to this story is "Is Jeph itiching to tell it?"
Station seems like, I dunno, the wrong option. He's clearly besotted, but he's also--basically--her dad. While Hanners has affection for her real dad, she's been clear that he was a distant parent. Station was the only father figure she had, or would sometimes allow. Hanners seems to think of him in that frame work.
Either way, probably a long ways to go before it happens, again, barring any Jeph curve ballsI think a Hannelore relationship would be about the last thing we'll ever see in QC. Literally. As in the final panel of the final strip once Jeph decided to end the comic. Hannelore's dreams and striving to become a 'normal' person is one of the cornerstones of the comic (together with Marten's life) and to all of a sudden put her in a normal relationship would, once the initial drama/comedy settles, quite frankly not be very interesting. She'd just be another girl and we've got quite enough of those already. To the point where Penelope and Cosette are almost out of the comic, and they are arguable the most 'normal' girls in the cast.
Either way, probably a long ways to go before it happens, again, barring any Jeph curve ballsI think a Hannelore relationship would be about the last thing we'll ever see in QC. Literally. As in the final panel of the final strip once Jeph decided to end the comic. Hannelore's dreams and striving to become a 'normal' person is one of the cornerstones of the comic (together with Marten's life) and to all of a sudden put her in a normal relationship would, once the initial drama/comedy settles, quite frankly not be very interesting. She'd just be another girl and we've got quite enough of those already. To the point where Penelope and Cosette are almost out of the comic, and they are arguable the most 'normal' girls in the cast.
Anyway, I don't think we'll see Hannelore in a relationship until maybe another couple of years have passed in comic. Which means at least 8-10 years in real life.
My point was that I think Hannelore has to reach some form of 'normality' by overcoming a lot of her neuroses before she'll even try to go into a relationship. Or at least most of them. But as I said, that will take a long time, even in comic we're probably talking years, before she'll allow a boy into her life.Either way, probably a long ways to go before it happens, again, barring any Jeph curve ballsI think a Hannelore relationship would be about the last thing we'll ever see in QC. Literally. As in the final panel of the final strip once Jeph decided to end the comic. Hannelore's dreams and striving to become a 'normal' person is one of the cornerstones of the comic (together with Marten's life) and to all of a sudden put her in a normal relationship would, once the initial drama/comedy settles, quite frankly not be very interesting. She'd just be another girl and we've got quite enough of those already. To the point where Penelope and Cosette are almost out of the comic, and they are arguable the most 'normal' girls in the cast.
Anyway, I don't think we'll see Hannelore in a relationship until maybe another couple of years have passed in comic. Which means at least 8-10 years in real life.
A relationship doesn't have to make Hanners "normal." Whatever normal is.
There's a certain logic to holding out Cosette and Pen2 as "normal" but the fact is they are merely one dimensional. We don't see much out of them because they aren't particularly deep characters. Cosette started out as someone whose entire character was in being accident prone. Now, she's just kinda there. Pen2's entire schtick was "Dammit I am NOT PIZZA GIRL!" Pretty much her entire personality is summed up right there.
This doesn't make either useless. The only character we can be sure we'll never see again is Sara. Jeph likes having a large cast because it gives him plenty to work with if he gets tired of using a character. Out of the current cast, however, Pen2 and Cosette are the least interesting. Mostly, IMO because they are the least neurotic (Barring Momo, but she's the straightman to several characters). I doubt an actual relationship would make Hannelore less neurotic. At least not so much that she stops being useful.
We've yet to see a relationship cure neurosis in this comic. Hanners won't be the first.
A relationship doesn't have to make Hanners "normal." Whatever normal is.
(snip)
We've yet to see a relationship cure neurosis in this comic. Hanners won't be the first.
My point was that I think Hannelore has to reach some form of 'normality' by overcoming a lot of her neuroses before she'll even try to go into a relationship. Or at least most of them. But as I said, that will take a long time, even in comic we're probably talking years, before she'll allow a boy into her life.
And I totally agree with you that Penelope & Cosette are the least interesting, partly because they are the least developed characters and partly because they haven't really had any neuroses to speak of even when they are onscreen. Which becomes a circle: No onscreen time because they aren't very interesting because they haven't had enough time on screen to develop any neuroses etc. As for Cosette's accident-proneness, it hasn't been a factor in any strip since she had her basic training in 1758 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1758) (unless you count the wardrobe malfunction in 2629 (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2629)). I take it that she has stabilized a bit after finding a good boyfriend who has made her slow down a bit and made her not worry so much about life.
I approach everything from the pov of a writer, first. As a writer, having Hanners pursue a relationship when she is ready is dull. It limits options for conflict and thus limits options to show character growth in action, rather than just tell the audience how the character grew.
This is a gag-a-day comic. Showing an unready Hanners trying to date has more potential gags than the everyday adventures of a perfectly "normal" couple. We're all bags of neurosis deep down in the secret places we don't like to talk about at parties. We want him on that wall. We need him on that wall...
To circle bake Cosy and Pen2. Hanners was a 1D as those two.
Jeph did a doodle of Hannelore appearing to fan girl/lust after Lt. Cmdr Data. One dimensionally, that's a good sight gag. But like Leo DiCaprio, we have to deeper. Hanners IS Data. In a number of ways she's superior to those around her, but she'd give all of that up to be "human." In her own, weird way, she's the most human member of the cast. My belief is, should Hanners ever get her equivalent of an emotion chip, it won't change her on a fundamental level, just as Data grew without becoming something different. The lesson of Data, and hopefully Hanners, being that--like the lion, scarecrow, tin man and Dorothy had everything they needed from the start--both were "human" all along.
[edit]
I wonder what particular combination of meds allowed Hannelore to do 'sexy' so effectively when she was first introduced? (http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=515)
So, anybody wanna ship Hannelore with Bubbles?
I kid, I kid.
In any case it's better character development if his interaction with Hannelore teaches Sven how to be Just a Friend with a woman.
Bubbelore
Fubbles
Svennalore
Clairten
QuoteBubbeloreQuoteFubblesQuoteSvennaloreQuoteClairten
I will remind older members, and point out to newer ones (though I actually say it in the rules which you've all read, right?) that I see the use of portmanteau terms like these as dehumanising, and thus an indication that shipping is getting out of hand and heading for the forbidden zone. As a quick indication of their desirability, how many of your friends do you refer to in this way?
It's easier in the UK
It's easier in the UK: your name as an adult is simply what you say it is. Having an official document (deed poll (https://www.gov.uk/change-name-deed-poll/overview)) to back it up is helpful for some purposes, and free. (There are extra steps to be taken in the case of children, as one might expect.)