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Hannelore "Hanners" Ellicott-Chatham[1] is Marten and Faye's obsessive-compulsive[2] neighbor. She lives in the apartment above theirs with her robot companion Winslow.

Biography[]

Background[]

Hanners is the 22-year-old[3] only child[4] of two billionaire parents and lived on a space station for much of her childhood with her father.[5] She and Dr. Case have each revealed that her childhood[6] on the station was not very positive. She was essentially afraid of everything and everyone, save for the Station's AI. Hannelore had gone into fits of madness, forcing the staff to tie her to a bed and force feed her, even going as far as sedating Hannelore until she was catatonic. Dr. Case told Marten and Marigold a popular theory was Station has implanted something onto her brain, causing Hannelore to calm down significantly to the point she decided to live on Earth.[7]

Her mother, Beatrice Chatham, is a ruthless business woman who did not show much affection to her only child. She has said she doesn't even know when Hannelore was conceived, much to her daughter's chagrin. Her father, with whom she is still in regular contact,[8] is an eccentric inventor who seems to have a rather far and away concept of science in general, despite making a fortune in his ventures. She felt neglected by her father[9] but has stayed in touch with him. Contact with her mother is less frequent and more stressful,[10] and Hannelore has matter-of-factly described her mother as "evil",[4] although seems to recognize that there is some danger of taking after her.[11]

Her parents are divorced and estranged.[5] Hannelore has a robot companion, Winslow, who keeps her company. Hanners has no roommate and in fact believes she couldn't cope with one due to her OCD.[12]

Religion[]

Hannelore did not have a religious upbringing.[13] She has never been religious.[14]

Education[]

Hannelore is college-educated.[15] Her major is unknown: she seems well acquainted with logic[16] and science but that could have been a result of her upbringing rather than her education.

There is contradictory information on this: on Formspring she said that she didn't attend college,[17] but in the strip she says she did,[18] and in Q&A Jeph Jacques said she didn't.[19]. Later on he said that she was joking about college.[20]

500–999[]

Meeting Marten[]

Hannelore met Marten in the Beer is good bar.[21] After intruding into Marten's discussion with Steve,[22] Hanners told them about her OCD,[2] and Marten told her about Faye.[23] On their way to her home to play Scrabble Marten and Hanners discussed their jobs.[24] That's when Marten found out that they live in the same building.[25] She introduced him to Winslow, they played Scrabble, and Hanners let it slip that she actually stalked Marten for a bit.[26] Faye walked in on them in an awkward moment after Marten accidentally tasered himself.[27] On the next day Hannelore visited Faye and Raven Pritchard in Coffee of Doom.[28] Dora Bianchi and Faye invited Hannelore to watch TV, and she felt asleep in Marten's apartment.[29]

Marten was the first human character she met but she's established friendships with everyone in the CoD circle. Of her coworkers, her favorite is Faye, who feels to her like a big sister and is only scary "SOMEtimes".[30] Overall, her best friend is Marten.[31]

Joining Deathmøle[]

Members of the music group Deathmøle were looking for a drummer. Realizing that they need someone who either already owns a drum set, or has disposable income, Marten invited Hannelore to join the band.[32] After a short and unproductive consultation with Dr. Corrine, Hannelore agreed and went drum shopping with Marten.[33]

1000–1999[]

Getting a job in Coffee of Doom[]

Hannelore used to be self-employed with a business in which she counts things for people,[34][35], taking advantage of her OCD. Later on, she accepted a part-time job at Coffee of Doom[36] on a suggestion from her therapist rather than for the money.[35] She has found less joy in her counting job since taking up the drums[37] but has continued it at a reduced level.[38] She is the patron of the "Ellicott-Chatham Home for Widowed Drumsticks".[39]

2000–2999[]

3000–3999[]

Meeting Tilly[]

Tilly Birch was assigned as a personal assistant to Hannelore by her mother.[40] After trying to resist Tilly, Hannelore reluctantly agreed for a trial run.[41] Tilly was about to leave after two days,[42] when Hannelore discovered that this assignment was part of her mother's negotiations with Tilly's father.[43]

After a confrontation with her mother,[44] she has recently left Northampton for parts unknown on a voyage of self-discovery.[45]

Traveling[]

Hannelore got a nose piercing[46] and brushed a yak.[47] She visited an underwater science laboratory[48] and The Space Station.[49]

4000s[]

When Hannelore returned she hugged Dora—a result of personal breakthroughs on her journey.[50] She also visited Marigold[51], and Faye and Bubbles at Union Robotics.[52] There she also met Marten and Claire.[53] They discussed their relationships with parents.[54]

Personality[]

Hannelore suffers from OCD and other issues including another anxiety disorder, but faces her anxiety problems with incredible courage[55] and shows concern and compassion[56] for others. She retreats from the sass competitions of the other characters,[57] but is capable of intimidating flashes of extreme assertiveness,[58][59] all of which happen when a friend is in trouble. Of the main characters, Hannelore is, together with Marten, probably the most empathic. She is really, genuinely interested in other people, is capable of surprising insight, and really good in helping them to handle their own anxieties. Her interactions in the QC universe often seem symbiotic, in that, when she helps out one of her friends, this in turn helps her to battle her own anxieties.[60][61]

On more than one occasion she has entertained thoughts of extreme violence, including preemptively constructing her reactions to any number of violent encounters (even if they are perpetrated by her close friends)[62] and imagining killing them when she believed they are witnesses to her committing a felony.[63] Her readiness for violence extends so far she even has an app on her phone for planning bombardment from orbit.[64] Her quirks can be disquieting to the point of coming off as creepy.[18] She has even acknowledged being "creepy".[65]

Her OCD-fueled ability of counting has also aided her in becoming a very talented drummer, as she believes that "Drumming is counting using your whole body!"[66] She would like to count all the gold bars in Fort Knox.[67] In the past she said that the weirdest thing she'd been hired to count was a tossup between sand grains and back hairs,[34] but recently she has said that the weirdest was teeth.[68] She is also subject to having her mind racing over thoughts not related to counting.[69]

Hannelore has many quirks to her personality. She tends to search the internet for random things and at one point claimed that she had found every existing picture of cute animals, although she has a great dislike for certain animals[70][71][64] and has compiled numerous lists supporting her distrust.[72]

She loves kitties[73][74] and owns a National Geographic Big Book of Kitties volume[75] that she uses to cheer herself up when she is down. She also asks Pintsize to download pictures of sexy firemen for her[76] and when she encounters some firefighters in reality returns the pictures because "they are really sweaty".[77] She eventually swaps them for pictures of cute veterinarians holding kitties. She likes vanilla ice cream because it tastes clean.[78] Marigold got her interested in yaoi anime and manga, specifically "Magical Love Gentlemen."

Despite her challenges, Hanners does try to keep up with the gang's banter, even in situations where she is out of her comfort zone. She enjoys drinking with the rest of the gang.

Hannelore is childlike in some ways, for example her naivete and a love of making loud noises.[79][80] Her literal-mindedness[81] may be another example.

When in fear she tends to flail,[82][83] something her friends are aware of. They try to avoid putting her in situations where she would, or warn bystanders of her impending action.

It has been hinted that she has a crush on Indiana Jones,[84] but he is not her ideal man.[85]

HannersHug1

Hannelore celebrates her job by conquering a fear

For a long time, Hannelore was extremely intolerant of hugging ("Hugging Hannelore Heralds Heavy Hyperventilation"),[86] but recently, she has, spontaneously, hugged twice. When she was all excited over landing her part-time job at Coffee of Doom, she spontaneously hugged Marten (much to both Marten's and her own surprise),[36] and at the conclusion of the pretend-date with Sven, she (consciously) hugged Sven when he offered a handshake (much to Sven's surprise).[87] Most recently she gave her father a hug for his birthday[88] (something she hasn't willingly done since she was a baby),[89] indicating a slow but steady character development on her part. She has also demonstrated the ability to temporarily suppress her anxieties when helping her friends, though she openly states that she will eventually freak out when it's more convenient.[60]

Hannelore is happy with her life on Earth.[90] Her happiness level, as measured on the Fournier-Goldman scale, is over 10% of the lethal level.[91] Marten calculated it to be over the lethal level, but Hannelore's father found an order of magnitude error in Marten's calculations.

The space station AI, who may well know her better than any human does, described her as having "a sparkling intellect, a kind heart, and a boundless capacity for joy".[92]

Phobias[]

She is afraid of clowns.[93] She has a mortal fear of Tapirs.[94][95] Her phobias also include the font Myriad Pro.[96]

Hobbies[]

Hanners has recently started knitting.[97] Her other crafts hobby is making stuffed dolls.[98]

She has learned to bake, which she does enthusiastically.[99]

She doesn't play most video games, considering them too stressful,[100] but she is intrigued by watching someone play World of Warcraft[101] and enjoys Katamari Damacy.[30]

Hannelore plays Scrabble.[102]

She is the drummer for Deathmøle.

She can understand Morse code and speak it fluently and without pause. She does this in Strip 1912, where she follows up Marten's joke telegram to Dora with the sequence (... .. -. -.-. . .-. . .-.. -.-- --..-- / -- .- .-. - . -.).

Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll[]

Sexuality[]

Hannelore is in practice celibate because her mental health problems preclude physical intimacy. Even the idea of kissing grosses her out.[103] Hanners has very little knowledge about sex in general, not even about porn cliches,[104] and no experience besides being kissed once as a teen.[102][105] She does not understand many of the gang's sexual jokes and either blocks them out in order to avoid finding out about them, or ventures questions but is coherent enough not to take much notice of Pintsize's answers. However she does surprise the others on occasion, for example when Dora and Faye find her asking Marten what a vagina feels like.[106]

Her theoretical orientation is heterosexual, or possibly hetero-romantic asexual.[107] She enjoys sexy pictures of men,[76][108] and has fantasized about Indiana Jones.[84] She has also directly stated that she is not interested in women.[107] Her ideal man is apparently Mr. Clean, though she has no desire to have sex with him.[85]

Drugs[]

Hannelore's most common source of mind-altering substances is her heavy-duty psychiatric medications, which can cause embarrassing side effects[109] or even outright personality changes.[65]

Hannelore avoids illegal drugs,[65][110] but used to smoke Nat Sherman cigarettes,[30] although during a conversation with Sven, Hannelore admits she gets the urge to smoke again sometimes.[111] She continues to drink caffeine and alcohol, with a particular fondness for dry martinis[112] and Tom Collins.[113]

Music preferences[]

At first Hannelore only listened to Bach,[114] but has diversified her tastes since hanging out with the others, for example singing Atlas from Battles.[115] She has listened to enough country music to recognize Sven's work.[116] Listening to metal, as opposed to playing it, she usually finds stressful.[117]

She sometimes plays "Ride of the Valkyries" during a particulary epic cleaning session.[118] Her ringtone is "What a Fool Believes" by The Doobie Brothers.[119]

She has a strong dislike of free-jazz.[114] She has developed a dislike for Richard Strauss's "Thus Spake Zarathustra" from her time spent in space.[120] She does not want to be in a Metallica cover band, suggesting some dislike of the band.[121]

Hannelore appears to have a fondness for percussion instruments. In addition to being the drummer for Deathmøle, she owns a gong,[80] as well as a T-shirt for the Avedis Zildjian Company, which makes cymbals.[122]

Trivia[]

I still get people asking why Hannelore was so different in these early comics. She was on some really hardcore medication at the time. I TOTALLY WAS NOT JUST FIGURING HER OUT AS I WENT ALONG.
— Jeph Jacques
  • Prior to Marigold she was Jeph Jacques's favorite character.[123]
  • The Ellicott-Chatham family is named after Chatham and Ellicott City, places in Maryland not far from where Jeph Jacques grew up.[124]
  • Forum member bogusman82 points out that her full name is an anagram for "Can her mental health cool it?".
  • Hannelore's idea lightbulb is energy-saving.[125]
  • Hanner's twitter account has a cameo in https://xkcd.com/574, titled "Swine Flu".
  • Through strip 1860, she has appeared in over 20% of all of the strips, despite not making her first appearance until strip 515.[126]
  • "Hannelore" is a German name

Memorable quotes[]

See Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham/Quotes

Gallery[]

See also Category:Images of Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham

Speculation[]

See also: Guide to strips featuring Hannelore
I don't care if people overanalyze things. I mean, I think it's stupid, and they're wrong 99% of the time, but that's kind of what forums are FOR.
— Jeph Jacques[129]

Apartment number[]

Hannelore's apartment number is shown in two separate comics as being 33[130], 36[131], or 42[132], though the landlord states that her apartment is 226[133]. Given that Hannelore lives upstairs from Marten, who himself lives above the first floor, it's logical that Hannelore at least lives on the third floor. Since apartment numbers typically include the floor number as their first digit, both 33 and 36 would make more sense than 226. However, not all apartment buildings follow that numbering scheme. Excluding a simple mistake on the part of the artist, one possible in-universe explanation of Hannelore's apartment number changing could be her occasional paranoia, particularly of assassins, robots, and evil henchmen, as a result of being the daughter of wealthy and influential people. She may routinely switch the number on her apartment around in order to try and fool any potential threats. Such activity is well within the bounds of what we know of Hannelore's character.

Other[]

If researchers in the QC universe found out about the relationship between Serotonin and bone density before they learned about the mental health role of serotonin, then both her absence of bone problems despite growing up on a space station and her mental health problems could be explained if she took serotonin-reducing drugs as a child. This idea was torpedoed on Formspring where she said the station spins to create a constant 1g.

Hannelore's mother's uncertainty about how she got pregnant with Hannelore raises the possibility that Hannelore was some sort of genetic engineering experiment by her father. Her mental health problems might be a side effect of the genetic modification if so, instead of being hereditary. Genetic modification of her nervous system might also explain her superhumanly fast reactions.[134][135] At least one person took it for granted that she would have had augmentations.[136]

She has wondered whether she has a clone somewhere, saying it's the sort of thing her father might have done.[137]

We are all figments of Hannelore's imagination.
— Jeph Jacques[138]

References

  1. First mention of the full name in Number 528: She Let It Slip
  2. 2.0 2.1 Number 520: Hlhgbaulh
  3. Number 1069: Vocal Warmups
  4. 4.0 4.1 Number 1152: Orders From On High
  5. 5.0 5.1 Number 665: Made From Cows?
  6. Number 2117: Photonomicon
  7. Number 2134: Cybersanity
  8. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC/q/1905763233
  9. Number 1904: They're Pretty Rad
  10. Number 910: Bad News
  11. Number 2443: Computer Or Biological?
  12. Number 1586: Just Your Average Everyday
  13. Number 1295: More Theological Discussion
  14. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC#!start=1916714246
  15. Number 596: Social Graces
  16. Number 1879: What Was To Be Demonstrated
  17. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC#!start=1916714246
  18. 18.0 18.1 Number 596: Social Graces
  19. https://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/11097408311/qa-dump-08 archived
  20. https://jephjacques.tumblr.com/post/11265563239/qa-dump-09 archived
  21. Number 515: Smokin' In The Boys' Room?
  22. Number 517: Goddess Of Sleep Madness
  23. Number 521: Those Are Not Words
  24. Number 523: I Would Be Terrible At That Job
  25. Number 525: Funny Ha Ha
  26. Number 527: Those Poor HorsiesNumber 529: Technically She's Trespassing Now
  27. Number 532: Hello ThereNumber 534: Living A Decemberists Song
  28. Number 544: Another Either/Or Situation, Number 546: Arbitrarily Titled Comic Strip
  29. Number 556: Be PreparedNumber 558: Threats!
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC, archived in 2012
  31. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC#!start=1916714246
  32. Number 862: Mellencamp, Lee Hooker, And Lennon
  33. Number 863: I Love Hearing Boston Kids Pronounce "Hardcore"Number 865: Knuckles
  34. 34.0 34.1 Number 523: I Would Be Terrible At That Job
  35. 35.0 35.1 http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2011/07/14/267909/questionable-content-cartoonist-jeph-jacques-on-post-college-career-paths-the-space-program-and-what-hes-learned-from-readers/
  36. 36.0 36.1 Number 1709: It's Important To Have Goals
  37. Number 977: You Might Say They're Un-Faye-Sed
  38. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC/q/1905580144
  39. Number 1053: Poor Sticky
  40. Number 3606: Call For Assistance
  41. Number 3618: Terms And Conditions
  42. Number 3634: The Long Goodbye
  43. Number 3635: The Other Shoe Drops
  44. Number 3637: Apocalypse
  45. Number 3649: They Have A Group DM Now
  46. 3755: I Made Winslow Cuter
  47. 3730: A Big Dog
  48. 3809: Bloop
  49. 3929: Catching Up Again
  50. 4047: She's Baaaaaack
  51. 4050: Yak Insurance
  52. 4052: With Her Own Eyes4056: Wholesome Content
  53. 4057: Cute, Really
  54. 4058: No Archery
  55. Number 1075: The Only Song She Knows
  56. Number 1681: Marigold's Ketamine Just Kicked In
  57. Number 630: I Couldn't Fit Them In-Panel, Sorry
  58. Number 981: You Wouldn't Like It
  59. Number 1108: Chernobylore
  60. 60.0 60.1 Number 1635: Launch It Into The Sun
  61. Number 1659: Flailure
  62. Number 1172: Dora, Witch Indeed
  63. Number 1576: Last Possible Resort
  64. 64.0 64.1 Number 2468: Yes, Basically
  65. 65.0 65.1 65.2 Number 1046: I Finally Friggin' Explained It, Okay
  66. Number 864: Actually They Do It In Every Song
  67. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC/q/1905610947
  68. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC/q/1905586628
  69. Number 1276: Oh Dear Jesus No
  70. Number 2374: Also Introduced Pythons
  71. Number 2375: Rent A Volvo
  72. Number 1367: Secret Watch-List
  73. Number 1077: Ballistic Projections
  74. Number 1585: FRIENDS FRIENDS FOREVER
  75. Number 1348: Cuteography
  76. 76.0 76.1 Number 1219: Backroom Dealing
  77. Number 1226: Lethal Combination
  78. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC/q/1905569960
  79. Number 863: I Love Hearing Boston Kids Pronounce "Hardcore"
  80. 80.0 80.1 Number 1056: And It Wasn't Even In The Demo Room
  81. Number 2363: Silence Is Golden
  82. Number 612: Where Does He Keep His Bike?
  83. Number 918: Ye Olde Meanwhile
  84. 84.0 84.1 Number 723: I Hate Snakes
  85. 85.0 85.1 Number 1141: Mr And Mrs
  86. Number 907: He's Got The Touch, All Right
  87. Number 1769: Number 1769: Surveillance
  88. Number 2146: Applause Discouraged
  89. Number 2147: Scienceweight Division
  90. Number 2128: Discrete Happiness
  91. Number 2129: Pretty Spry For An Old Guy
  92. Number 2158: And I Will Write
  93. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC/q/1916721027
  94. Number 1293: Verdict: Creepy
  95. Number 1374: High Noon
  96. Number 1855: B.L.O.O.D.T.R.E.E.
  97. Number 1267: Large Hadron Crocheter
  98. Number 546: Arbitrarily Titled Comic Strip
  99. Number 1679: Sweet Science
  100. http://www.formspring.me/hanneloreEC/q/1905584314
  101. Number 1492: Suck It, Shippers
  102. 102.0 102.1 Number 521: Those Are Not Words
  103. Number 1885: Hanneluminol
  104. Number 2356: Porno Tropes
  105. Number 896: Wait, On Him Or Her?
  106. Number 1395: Plumbing the Depths
  107. 107.0 107.1 Number 1493: At Least She's Being Generous
  108. Number 1420: Magical Love Gentleman #18
  109. Number 800: An Inexact Science
  110. Number 1279: Weedmaster P Is Her Dealer
  111. 4400: Pangs
  112. Number 921: Starring Carrie Fisher
  113. Number 1148: And A Fancy Drink, At That
  114. 114.0 114.1 Number 637: There Is Probably An Emo Band Named FallDownStairs
  115. Number 1206: Atlas
  116. Number 1073: Titles Come First
  117. Number 2454: In My Kingdom Cold
  118. Number 897: Operation Cleaning Eagle
  119. Number 2104: He Seees
  120. Number 707: My Apologies To Takehiko Inoue
  121. Number 1987: Hush Little Baby, Don't Say A Word
  122. Number 994: The Voice Of Reason
  123. http://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,9135.msg662552/topicseen.html#msg662552
  124. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Chatham+Ellicott+City
  125. Number 2588: Deny, Deny, Deny
  126. Count of character appearances
  127. See tumblr post and night club arc in Number 2041: John Cage Dance NightNumber 2054: Tactfully Enforced Silence
  128. Livejournal post "Lasers and Lightning Backgrounds"
  129. https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,25662.msg992631.html#msg992631
  130. Number 1224: Dreams Come True
  131. Number 1085: Miscommunication
  132. Number 2683: Blessed Silence
  133. Number 313: Those Damn Windows Took Forever To Draw
  134. Number 1633: Das Hangover
  135. Number 2054: Tactfully Enforced Silence
  136. Number 1902: Oh God That FACE
  137. Number 1662: Altered Hanners
  138. Number 2280: Plato's Coffeeshop
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