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Cat (ideally, the arch-enemy of Melon's pigeon)

11 (27.5%)

Adopts one of Yay's (SpookyBot's) dogs

3 (7.5%)

A dog of her own (maybe something ironic like a pit bull that has no aggression at all)

4 (10%)

A pet plant (Bubbles' suggestion)

1 (2.5%)

A budgerigar (ideal parrot-kin for a small apartment)

4 (10%)

A head ignuana (tribute to Damn You Willis's character of Joyce Brown)

0 (0%)

Pintsize (AnthroPCs were AI pets at first and Pinty feels his work with Marten is done)

2 (5%)

A hamster, gerbil, chinchilla or some other ground rodent

5 (12.5%)

A goldfish

1 (2.5%)

Something very exotic like a snake or some small reptile/amphibian

1 (2.5%)

Other (please specify in comments)

8 (20%)

Total Members Voted: 39

[Dr. ROFLPWN]

[Near Lurker]

Would that be an acceptable athame?  Genuinely not certain...

Regardless, not much Hannelore could do would be more conspiracy-theory-generating than watching a man piss in a sink...

[Wingy]

Roko's pet: Clearly that will be Yay/SB.
Hanners back: yay!  I wonder if any of her old habits will return with the familiar environment?

[JoeCovenant]

Hannelore!!

HANNELORE !!!!!

HANNEL.....

...oh!

[jwhouk]

She also wielded a Cricket bat a long time ago as well...

[Mr Intrepid]

Haven't seen Winslow yet.  My guess is that she dropped him off at the apartment.( yeah, she would have kept the lease)  had him air it out, dust, vaccum, and grab some groceries.  He'll probably pop up by the end of the week.

[Theta9]

I dunno about dog's ears - despite having a couple of dogs myself, I've never indulged - but I know that dog burps smell like a combination of whatever they ate or licked last and something dead. 

My cats' breath is typically a melange of ass and old spoiled fish.

[dutchrvl]

I dunno about dog's ears - despite having a couple of dogs myself, I've never indulged - but I know that dog burps smell like a combination of whatever they ate or licked last and something dead. 

My cats' breath is typically a melange of ass and old spoiled fish.

This is true, also for my cats. But, their chest and forehead in particular smell like heaven. I imagine dogs have similar spots, so perhaps their ears then(?)

Which reminds me: https://soranews24.com/2015/12/10/japan-finally-bottles-the-scent-of-a-cats-forehead-now-available-to-spray-on-your-belongings/

[sitnspin]

I's been my experience that dogs smell fucking terrible, no matter how clean they are. But YMMV.

[OldGoat]

Would that be an acceptable athame?  Genuinely not certain...

Depending on the Tradition, maybe.  There is no central authority in Wicca or Neo-paganism that can decide what is or is not an acceptable working tool.  I do know people who use a kris.

If you decide to pack one, keep it sprinkled with lime juice just in case you encounter a Berbalang.

[Inconsequential]

We learned back at Emily's lake house and IIRC a few other times that Hannelore tans unusually quickly.
https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=2300

Normally, a person with blonde hair, very pale skin and green eyes would quickly burn in sunlight.

I've sort of wondered if Hanners' Dad added some... enhancements. And what those might be. And what unintended effects they might have had.

Hmmmmm....

[BenRG]

I've sort of wondered if Hanners' Dad added some... enhancements. And what those might be. And what unintended effects they might have had.

Hmmmmm....

My headcanon is that Beatrice wanted a 'perfect' daughter to be her heir. Dr Ellicott-Chatham carried out a lot of very unethical modifications to the embryo that he and Beatrice had conceived in vitro, which were only not illegal because no-one had ever thought they were possible so no-one thought to ban them. Hannelore's genes were changed to make her close to superhuman in terms of intelligence and physical condition with a borderline-sociopathic disregard for others so she could continue Beatrice's 'good work' without a flicker of conscience.

The problem was that most of these modifications simply didn't work. Yes, Hanners is a lot smarter than baseline but the multiple layers of gene alterations have left her with a string of genetic neurochemical disorders that leads to most of her mental health issues. I also suspect that the physical enhancements didn't work out either, beyond perhaps better senses that just makes her acutely hyper-aware of just how unsanitary the world around her can be. Indeed, I wonder if the genetic alterations may have made her somewhat weaker than baseline.

As was their nature, Beatrice and John tried to play god. Hannelore has spent her whole life suffering as a consequence.

[Gus_Smedstad]

I's been my experience that dogs smell fucking terrible, no matter how clean they are. But YMMV.

Dogs want to smell terrible. Dogs absolutely love to roll in filth. It's an evolutionary thing. They're predators, and they want their prey to think "there's a big pile of poo nearby" rather than "there's a big dangerous pack of dogs nearby."

Cats, on the other hand, don't want you to smell them at all. Which is why they are so obsessive about burying both poo and pee, and why they'll spend an inordinate amount of time grooming themselves.

I have no explanation as to why dogs love to rummage through catboxes for, uh, "treats." We had two cats and a dog in my house in my teenage years, and it was something I observed first hand far, far more often than I wanted.

[NemesisDancer]

I dunno about dog's ears - despite having a couple of dogs myself, I've never indulged - but I know that dog burps smell like a combination of whatever they ate or licked last and something dead. 

My cats' breath is typically a melange of ass and old spoiled fish.

This is true, also for my cats. But, their chest and forehead in particular smell like heaven. I imagine dogs have similar spots, so perhaps their ears then(?)

Which reminds me: https://soranews24.com/2015/12/10/japan-finally-bottles-the-scent-of-a-cats-forehead-now-available-to-spray-on-your-belongings/

This time of year my cat usually smells of coconut - white cats get sunburnt easily so we have to put suncream on her ears.


Very excited to see Hannelore back! Curious as to what else she's been up to while she was away.

[Zebediah]

I’m fond of the term “dog-breath humidity” which perfectly describes a particular kind of summer weather.

So, south central Kansas or somewhere else?
When I lived there, our cousins from Texas would complain about the humidity and say that they could at least drive to the ocean back home.

North Carolina originally, where it’s a typical summer day. Although we’ve had a few occasions recently to use the term in Massachusetts. I have a feeling that this weekend is going to be one of those occasions - Northampton is forecast to flirt with 100°F on Saturday.

[cesium133]

I's been my experience that dogs smell fucking terrible, no matter how clean they are. But YMMV.

Dogs want to smell terrible. Dogs absolutely love to roll in filth. It's an evolutionary thing. They're predators, and they want their prey to think "there's a big pile of poo nearby" rather than "there's a big dangerous pack of dogs nearby."

Cats, on the other hand, don't want you to smell them at all. Which is why they are so obsessive about burying both poo and pee, and why they'll spend an inordinate amount of time grooming themselves.

I have no explanation as to why dogs love to rummage through catboxes for, uh, "treats." We had two cats and a dog in my house in my teenage years, and it was something I observed first hand far, far more often than I wanted.

Dogs are like quarks: they cannot exist outside of a pile of filth, just like a quark cannot exist outside of a hadron. If you remove the filth from a dog, the dog will generate new filth from the background vacuum.

[Wingy]

My mother, who raised 3 boys, would make the same statement about men-children.  My wife makes the same statement about my home office, which is why she is forbidden to bring any cleaning utensils within it.

[Roborat]

I's been my experience that dogs smell fucking terrible, no matter how clean they are. But YMMV.

Dogs want to smell terrible. Dogs absolutely love to roll in filth. It's an evolutionary thing. They're predators, and they want their prey to think "there's a big pile of poo nearby" rather than "there's a big dangerous pack of dogs nearby."

Cats, on the other hand, don't want you to smell them at all. Which is why they are so obsessive about burying both poo and pee, and why they'll spend an inordinate amount of time grooming themselves.

I have no explanation as to why dogs love to rummage through catboxes for, uh, "treats." We had two cats and a dog in my house in my teenage years, and it was something I observed first hand far, far more often than I wanted.

Yes, dogs use dead things as camouflage, to disguise their odour.  Cats are both predators and prey, so they bury their waste so predators can't find them.  Dogs eat cat poop because cat food is high in protein, which results in dogs interpreting the cat poop as being food.

[Is it cold in here?]

Yes, Hanners is a lot smarter than baseline but the multiple layers of gene alterations have left her with a string of genetic neurochemical disorders that leads to most of her mental health issues.

There is a reason to think you are right. Years ago, Jeph said that he knows the reason for Hannelore's mental health problems and that it is a plot point. I cannot remember where or when he said that.

[theMarc]

YEAH! HANNELORE! WOO!

[Bollthorn]

Hannelore is back YEY!!  ^.^

[Stoutfellow]

Hannelore is back YEY!!  ^.^

Right, right, can't say "yay" anymore - it might summon Mx Newfriend!

[Gus_Smedstad]

Sometimes I think QC is mostly about who is sleeping with who. Except for Pintsize, and even he goes on dates where he tosses Pumpernickel at his date.

Not that I really object to that. I've always found it a bit sad that Clin-ton never seemed to have any luck in that regard. Emily was essentially disinterested, Brunhilde wasn't interested for different reasons, and even Roko never pursued her fantasies about the actual appearance of human abs.

My point being that Hannelore's mental issues have always be an obstacle to that, and that's finally been removed. So let the shipping commence.

[Perfectly Reasonable]

Would that be an acceptable athame?  Genuinely not certain...

Depending on the Tradition, maybe.  There is no central authority in Wicca or Neo-paganism that can decide what is or is not an acceptable working tool.  I do know people who use a kris.

If you decide to pack one, keep it sprinkled with lime juice just in case you encounter a Berbalang.

The best symbol for a sharp knife is a sharp knife.
(  a friend told me  )

[Wingy]

I've always found it a bit sad that Clin-ton never seemed to have any luck in that regard. Emily was essentially disinterested, Brunhilde wasn't interested for different reasons, and even Roko never pursued her fantasies about the actual appearance of human abs.

Hmmm.  A second try for Hanners by Clinton now that she might be a bit more receptive.  If he can get over memories of the previous attempt...

[Stoon]

Why was Dora just happening to be carrying a dagger in her left hand? 

Clever for Jeph to hide it until the last frame.

[zisraelsen]

"I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF SOUL SEARCHING PLEASE PUT THE KNIFE DOWN"

[Gus_Smedstad]

Hannelore discovered the Poop Buddha.

As for poop being poop, I had to struggle to reach the same point. There's a pretty good reason for having a poop-touching taboo, since it's full of harmful microbes. But at the end of the day, if you're careful about washing, it's pretty much like handling dirt. Getting it on you isn't going to kill you, you just need to be a bit extra careful about really, really cleaning it off. Preferably with something that's good at killing off those microbes.

[zioninavision]

4048 to me is feeling incredibly crucial!!  It may even be loosely akin to when some bands create a song that shares a title with their name. 

The last several dozens of strips have really felt like this organic tesselating to another new way of arranging the characters, interactions and dialogue that feels quintessentially to relate to the concept of questionable content (to me that means the key and very active intersection between the psyche, creativity, and language.) 

[shanejayell]

Well, that was a thing.

I do hope Hanners remains somewhat quirky, or she'll just fade into the background....

Has Dora told her about the engagement yet?

[DaiJB]

I love the Enlightened Poop....   

[hedgie]

I dunno.  This whole thing seems rather shitty to me.

(ducks)

[TV4Fun]

I'm so glad OCD can be fixed with just a few mental shifts.

[Scarlet Manuka]

Given that Roku needs to have a rule that Melon not cause explosions after 9 PM, any pet would clearly have to either be deaf or completely passive so as not to be stressed by the loud noises and general shaking.

My feeling is that Melon already fills the role that a pet would play.

[hedgie]

I'm so glad OCD can be fixed with just a few mental shifts.

Speaking as someone who has dealt with OCD amongst other anxiety disorders through IOP exposure therapy, that sounds very much like what Hanners put herself through.  I don't think that it was some sort of instant revelation, but even dealing with Yak excretions for a few months would probably do the job better than the haphazard approach to it that she was doing earlier.

[brasca]

Hannelore discovered the Poop Buddha.

As for poop being poop, I had to struggle to reach the same point. There's a pretty good reason for having a poop-touching taboo, since it's full of harmful microbes. But at the end of the day, if you're careful about washing, it's pretty much like handling dirt. Getting it on you isn't going to kill you, you just need to be a bit extra careful about really, really cleaning it off. Preferably with something that's good at killing off those microbes.

That's what I'm hoping.  Poop is disgusting on its own but it's what's inside that counts.  There's a reason the mortality rate dropped when sanitation improved.  If Hannelore treats contact with fecal matter without freaking out then good for her, but I hope her psychosis hasn't swung in the opposite direction.  She'd be in for a hell of relapse the first time she gets sick eating at a greasy spoon.   

[OldGoat]

It's likely Hanners sought out challenging experiences which very probably included lunching on surströmming in Sweden.  Her system now scoffs at greasy spoons.

[jmsr]

I'm pretty sure that SB's dogs are greyhounds.

Hm, you may be right.  The only place we see their dogs is in this strip here: https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3418 and the tail of one of them here: https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3969 . In contrast, we see mrs augustus' new borzoi in https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3878 https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3879  https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3881 and in today's strip here https://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=4046

There's also #3901 "Multiple Anatomy". It's overwritten for some reason on questionablecontent.net with "Family Citrus" (compare #3901 and #3906), but is saved on imgur.

Huh, i never saw that 'multiple anatomy' strip, and i remember checking it every day over christmas and new years break.  That pretty conclusively puts "Spookybot" or "Yay" or whatever they go by as having two grayhound dogs which are named Azathoth and Mr. Smooches.  tyvm!

[BenRG]

What I find very interesting about Hannelore's sermon is it is very much in character for her. Waaay back when she was first introduced, she told Marten and Faye that she handles the whole defecation issue by lighting scented candles, putting on a blindfold and trying to totally divorce her conscious awareness from what is happening. For her, getting through a dirty, icky and unhygienic thing that is life requires that she teach her brain to somehow dance around the subject. Oddly enough, I'm pretty sure that everyone has to do this about something.

No, for me, the real interesting part of this comic is her comments in panels 1 and 2 about realising that she was doing the 'rich white girl finding herself/tourist' thing. I do think that people in developing world countries can rightly be a bit annoyed about these people from the First World with no problems coming to them, dripping with disposable wealth and wanting to 'experience' different cultures without any real personal stake other than curiosity and some condescending attitude about 'noble and exotic primitive ways'. What progress Hannelore made in understanding her connection with the world around her strongly depended on the fact that she forced herself out of her comfort zone to actually live it.

I do hope Hanners remains somewhat quirky, or she'll just fade into the background....

That's the thing; this isn't a 'cure by any sense of the word. What she's done is found a useful mind-exercise to help her basically not freak out all the time when dealing with the unhygienic. However, it is still a conscious process, so I think she'll be caught out on occasion. I suspect that she'll always have some issues with spontaneous acts on others' parts and something simple like making out with someone she fancies will require some before-and-after meditation to handle. Basically, she's just taken a few more steps along the road to functionality, one that makes it easier to express the love that she feels for all her friends, that's all.

[Y]

'Holy shit'. Perhaps doing something extreme can turn your feeling about it. It's how I got cured from my shyness, I did something very 'unshy'. Perhaps she had to do baby steps to get that point and visit someone's hairy art installation among the way.

[andrybak]

Years ago, Jeph said that he knows the reason for Hannelore's mental health problems and that it is a plot point. I cannot remember where or when he said that.

That would be QA Dump #31. Googleable by query «Hannelore plot point site:http://jephjacques.com».

What she's done is found a useful mind-exercise to help her basically not freak out all the time when dealing with the unhygienic.

Personally, I expected any epiphanies to be for her anxieties in general, not just hygiene-related ones. Maybe the enlightenment would be explored more in the following comics.

[jmsr]

... I do think that people in developing world countries can rightly be a bit annoyed about these people from the First World with no problems coming to them, dripping with disposable wealth and wanting to 'experience' different cultures without any real personal stake other than curiosity and some condescending attitude about 'noble and exotic primitive ways'.

This is pretty much why i don't take overseas vacations.  I can't enjoy them because i feel like i'm imposing on or annoying or creeping out the locals and i spend the entire time feeling fucked up and weird about it (heck, i even felt that way while touring London, and i'm Canadian!).  I may be projecting, but it's how i feel - and no amount of "but they want you to come and spend money!" can change that.  Especially when you consider that even in 'touristy' areas, only a small fraction of the locals are profiting off the tourist trade.

.

Someone also mentioned about having a knife on hand at all times.  I feel the same way because you never know when something needs to be cut or sliced or scraped off.  Heck, i use mine at work practically every day.  However, i would point out that the small blade in a swiss army knife or pliers multitool is more than enough for these purposes - there's no need to go all "Crocodile Dundee" with a "propa knoife" like Dora is kind of going here.

[Razgriz]

Dusting off my almost decade-old account to say that I'm disappointed by the implication of this newest comic. There were a lot of angry and/or snarky comments I wanted to make but I thought better of them, I'll just say this. Having someone simply decide to get over something like OCD implies that anyone who doesn't get over their own mental illness either isn't trying hard enough or doesn't want to (a sentiment I feel would've been moderated if it was expressed about Hanners in the past, and rightly so). Mental illness isn't so simple that it can be solved with such a basic epiphany as portrayed here. It can't be switched off after some soul searching. This is equivalent to telling a person with depression they should decide to be happy. I honestly expected better from QC.

[Akima]

Someone also mentioned about having a knife on hand at all times.  I feel the same way because you never know when something needs to be cut or sliced or scraped off.  Heck, i use mine at work practically every day.  However, i would point out that the small blade in a swiss army knife or pliers multitool is more than enough for these purposes - there's no need to go all "Crocodile Dundee" with a "propa knoife" like Dora is kind of going here.

At least Mick Dundee's knoife was a "tool knife", albeit a big one. Dora's is, I assume, an athame put to self-defence purposes?

[QuestionableIntentions]

That's an easy one.

The point of being grossed out is to avoid things evolution has found out to be risky/harmful to us.

Next question.

[maneyan]

I'm a bit apprehensive about this as well: mental issues aren't cured with an ephipany. Still though; Jeph's usually delivered on these things in the end so I'm going to presume he's going to elaborate on it.

[sitnspin]

I didn't interpret this as her "getting over" her mental illnesses, but as her developing an effecting coping mechanism. I have my own myriad mental health issues, and while I am fairly certain I will have them my entire life, I have learned strategies for managing them relatively effectively. That is all I am seeing here. The goal with any mental illness treatment is successful management of one's condition, not a cure.

[GentlewomanOtter]

I am so massively uncomfortable with today's comic that I created an account to comment. That is just not how mental illness works. It isn't how OCD/anxiety work specifically. I deal with a lot of anxiety and maybe some OCD, and I can't just decide that being grossed out or upset by or worried about something isn't helpful and make the feelings go away. I know intellectually that it isn't helpful to worry about my new job to the point of making myself nauseous. It is the opposite of helpful. That doesn't make it stop. I know that soap isn't magic disinfectant, it's mostly a surfactant, and that I will not die if i use the occasional bathroom without soap. But I just. Can't. Not without hand sanitizer or something instead of soap. This is on meds that keep me from spiraling and reduce the intrusive thoughts.

I'm confused and disappointed because Jeph is normally Excellent about things like this. But Hanners' intense OCD seems to have magically gone away just because she realized it wasn't helpful.

[Y]

The thing is the moment you get over your main uncomfortable thing, something else pops up instead, something you might haven't even found icky before.

I know that soap isn't magic disinfectant, it's mostly a surfactant, and that I will not die if i use the occasional bathroom without soap. But I just. Can't. Not without hand sanitizer or something instead of soap.

Why should you not wash after bathroom? I remember when I was younger it wasn't as bad, but then suddenly I started washing them every time and more, after my first gf found it icky. Now I wipe the seat of the toilet every time, even if that does nothing in terms of bacteria.

[Gus_Smedstad]

Soap being a surfactant is actually a major benefit. Warning: I'm dumping a bit of google research here, but it's from the National Institute of Health, so it's presumably credible.

While there are antibacterial soaps - and I always purchase those - it turns out the major benefit of handwashing isn't killing germs, it's washing them off your hands and down the drain. You get a benefit from washing your hands in even in plain water, though soap is better.

15 seconds of washing with regular soap reduces E. Coli by to 10^-1.72 (1.9%) of the original count.
15 seconds of washing with antibacterial soap reduces it to 10^-2.90 (0.12%) of the original count.
30 seconds of washing with antibacterial soap reduced it to 10^-3.33 (0.046%) of the original count.

Bacteria CAN survive on a bar of soap, and multiply. When you wash your hands with bar soap, you're transferring some of the bacteria to the soap, and the next time you wash, you're transferring some back before you start washing, where presumably it then goes down the drain. Which is an argument for using liquid soap, though you can still obsess over what's living on the soap dispenser.

Those infra-red controlled, touchless liquid soap dispensers you see in public restrooms? They're actually a benefit.