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Frau Jäger Blog Entry |
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October 4, 2024, 12:02:17 AM 10/4/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's characters from my anthro WWII storyline are Oma (Granny) Jäger, Frau Jäger, and Herr Jäger (first names never given). They're the paternal grandmother and parents of Ludolf Jäger; they aren't from the character list, but they're starting to develop an important role in Jäger's backstory as I'm writing up his full bio, so I figured I'd draw them. (Jäger also has six older sisters but I don't know that I'll draw them yet.) Young Ludolf is especially close to his Oma, who teaches him the old ways (rather to his mother's dismay). There'll be more about them later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se. Regarding their design, they're late Victorian/Edwardian; Oma falls more under the former while Frau Jäger's big hair gives her away as Edwardian. They're all leucistic, not albino (white fur with blue eyes, not red). TUMBLR EDIT: All righty! Having finished Dobermann's official profile (you can find it HERE), I decided on Major Jäger's next. Jäger's backstory first started to really reveal itself in his son Lars's entry. These art entries are based on what's been revealed so far in the in-progress bio, which is still in his childhood and subject to change. I suggest keeping an eye on HIS PAGE for future updates, though it takes me quite a while to finish them! These entries will be individualized to avoid repetition, though I have less info for Herr Jäger so far. Please see Oma Jäger's entry for a bit of background and links. I haven't much info on Frau Jäger yet; most of it pertains to her temperament. She's described as nervous and borderline hysterical, if we're talking about the old-timey psychological description--i. e., overly emotional in that particular feminine way, prone to fainting spells, wringing her hands and fretting a lot, often taking to her bed for "reasons." Granted, it probably doesn't help that she's rather younger than her husband, he's often away on business leaving her behind at home, and similar to her son Ludolf and his wife Magda later on, the two of them are...really quite active on the home front whenever Herr Jäger is available...so Frau Jäger spends a good deal of her time pregnant. Her physical constitution isn't the best, especially after having given birth to a bunch of girls. Herr Jäger longs for a son yet they haven't been blessed yet. Oh, right...Frau Jäger is a pious, devoted Catholic. Which raises some complications when she and Herr Jäger meet and fall in love, because Herr Jäger ISN'T a pious Catholic, he's...a follower of the old gods. A literal heathen. And along with him comes his mother, a package deal, and she's a literal heathen too. Herr Jäger loves Frau Jäger (to be) enough to convert; this doesn't sit very well with the MIL, yet she accepts her son's choice, and moves in with them. Ever since, she does prove helpful, by caring for the gaggle of rambunctious girls whenever Frau Jäger can't handle them, so the two women live in grudging tolerance of each other. All six daughters are born in relatively quick succession, yet a period of time then goes by in which the Jägers have no success conceiving any children at all. Frau Jäger grows fretful and despondent; Herr Jäger would never get upset with her over such a thing, yet she knows he's disappointed too. And his mother as well seems not too pleased about it, although Frau Jäger doesn't know why. ("She'd like a male heir to carry on the family name too, Liebe," Herr Jäger tells her one night when she asks. "For some reason it means a lot to her.") So, when Frau Jäger finally has to take to her bed again--nauseated and swollen and weepy and altogether miserable--she's also cautiously hopeful, as she felt just as f**king miserable the other six times she was with child. Her belly starts growing, and she prays for a boy. Frau Jäger delivers two boys, Ludolf and Luitpold. Both boys are sick. She begs Oma Jäger for help. Oma does so...one son dies, yet one son lives...and the surviving, younger son, Luitpold, takes the older's name, and the Jägers welcome their first and only son, Ludolf. Ludolf is healthy...and starts following Oma's ways. Frau Jäger isn't thrilled about that, but she'd agreed to this if Oma would save him, so she bites her tongue. As Ludolf's sisters are all rather older than he is, due to the gap in time in which Frau Jäger had no children, they fuss and fawn constantly over him, declaring him their little doll, dressing him up and playing with and cuddling him. Ludolf is a sedate, well-behaved baby and puts up with his sisters' adoration with no fuss of his own; they fortunately grow out of their interest in dolling him up like a toy, and as he enters toddlerhood Frau Jäger makes sure to order him the best suits from the tailor. Older sisters then take turns dressing him in his little sailor outfits, tying the ribbons in big perfect bows, smoothing the tallies over his shoulder, cooing and posing with him in their midst for the photographer, everyone keeping still, big smiles frozen on their faces until they're told they can relax. Ludolf doesn't mind. In fact he seems to relish being the center of attention, surrounded by and fussed over by young women. He develops a fascination for the opera Der Ring Des Nibelungen, which feeds directly into the stories Oma teaches him ("That Herr Wagner," Oma sniffs, "he knows hardly half the story! Fantasies and makeup and stage props. Take it with a grain of salt, mein Liebchen!"--yet Ludolf adores the opera anyway, and likes running around the house and its environs, play-acting his favorite parts). Overall, his childhood is happy and loving and quite privileged. Frau Jäger finds her son enjoying opera to be a far better and more appropriate pastime than traipsing off into the woods to get painted up and try to talk to heathen gods, so she doesn't complain about his interests, odd as they are for such a young boy. She spoils him the most of all her children; following the difficult birth, she doesn't conceive again, and she and Herr Jäger rather sadly conclude that Ludolf is likely to be their last. She's glad that at least she gave her husband a son to carry on the name, and it's fortunate that he's so well behaved because she would likely let him get away with anything. He always comes running in and hopping in the bed to say good morning when she's ill, and although she usually prefers to be left alone aside from her husband when keeping to her bed, she always greets Ludolf back with a tight hug. He's her perfect little prince who can do no wrong. And given how often Herr Jäger is away from home, Ludolf spends most of his time around all girls--sisters, mother, grandmother--and I guess you really could call him a mother's boy. He becomes quite skilled at reading women's moods, figuring out what they want, learning how to interact with them...and especially, learning how to manipulate them without them even knowing. The only one who catches on is Oma...who gives him tips on how to do it, while advising him to be cautious how he uses this skill: "You can build up or you can tear down, mein Liebchen, so it's up to you to decide which you wish to be--a creator or a destroyer? Would you rather forge a bond or break it? Both are useful, both can be overdone--moderation in everything--just remember that teaching from your mother's church: 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' Every woman you raise up is your sister, your mother, me; and every woman you might choose to use and cast down, the same. Good or bad, you do it to us all. Act wisely." Ludolf promises to be careful with how he uses his skills. He'll do the right thing. Ludolf is the model child, son, student, teenager; always well behaved, polite, intelligent, genteel. Frau Jäger is hopeful he'll go places as he's good at everything he chooses to do. She doesn't expect him to take the path of soldier, but then again, she doesn't believe, until it actually happens, that Germany will go to war again so soon. Ludolf comes to his parents one day with the news that he's applied to join the Waffen-SS; he missed the first war but he's old enough now to do his part. Frau Jäger bursts into tears; why, why, why does he need to "do his part," he owes no one anything, why can't he just stay home and start a family? Herr Jäger has different questions; why this "Waffen-SS," why not the army? Something about it feels off. Ludolf unsuccessfully tries to console his mother, then explains that he's looked into the SS's principles and they seem to align with his; it just feels right, he can't explain otherwise. His father bites down the rest of his protests, knowing he can't change his mind, though Ludolf's sisters fall upon him, weeping their eyes out and begging him to reconsider. Oma waits until the girls have cried themselves out and moved on to speak to him. She asks him about this Waffen-SS, who they are, if they truly stand for what they say. What does he really know about them? Are they genuine? Ludolf mentions their lightning bolt symbol, reminiscent of the god Donar--"It's like a sign, Oma, don't you see?"--then rattles off a list of their beliefs and principles. Oma's expression grows a bit more sour with each comment; she finally interjects: "That all looks nice on the page, mein Liebchen, but how is it in practice? Remember what I told you about Herr Wagner's opera--fantasies and makeup and stage props. Anyone can put on a fancy suit and carry a sword and call himself a knight. Doesn't make him one. How do you know these men mean what they teach?--or that they even understand the old ways they claim they follow? Something just feels odd about this, Liebchen...twisted around...and I think you should look deeper before you act." (NOTE that this account I'm giving here contradicts details in Lars Jäger's entry about Oma's reaction. That's just how a developing story goes. I can still imagine her urging him to follow his souls, though.) Then, wonder of wonders--"Ja, ja, Liebe!" Frau Jäger exclaims, drawing both Ludolf's and Oma's attention. She steps forward, wringing her hands earnestly. "Listen to your Oma! Who are these people, even?--how do you know they're all they say? An army that's not the army? What is this? The Heer is perfectly respectable if you absolutely must join, why choose...whoever these people are? How do you know they're for real...?" Oma actually blinks--it's a rare occasion indeed when Frau Jäger agrees with her. Yet Ludolf does something rather out of character for him: He pulls himself up with a rather offended expression, and slices his hand through the air--"Enough!" he says, in a dismissive tone of finality--"I've made up my mind. I love you both, I do, and I treasure your opinions, yet you're wrong here. That's it, that's final--I won't discuss it further. If you won't accept my decision I guess we just have to disagree." Both women are left rather nonplussed...Ludolf's never stood up to them before, he's always let them have their way, yet here we are. He pretty much grows up in that instant, no longer their baby boy Ludolf, but adult Jäger, heading off to training and then the front soon. Frau Jäger tries to appeal to her husband to reason with him but Herr Jäger, like Oma, knows there'll be no convincing him, they have to let him go. Frau Jäger heads to her bed to weep. Someone comes in a while later and sits on the bed, placing a hand on her arm; thinking it's her husband, she touches his hand, only to realize it's actually Oma. She's too surprised, and grief stricken over Ludolf's decision, to react with dismay. She slowly pushes herself up. "Why won't he listen to me?" she cries. Oma replies, "Little boys grow up, and suddenly think they don't need us women anymore. All we can do is see them off with love. And pray for the best." Frau Jäger's eyes fill up; "I know we don't..." she starts to say, falters, then says, "Would you...would you pray with me? For him? Even though it's not the same." Oma says, "The words all go to the same place," and holds open her hand; Frau Jäger clasps it and they bow their heads in silence. The Jägers uneasily watch the war unfold. Jäger is accepted into the Waffen-SS--his pedigree is immaculate--and completes his training; he returns home to see his family again before he has to head off to the Eastern Front, where the Reich is fighting their erstwhile allies, the Soviets. A photographer the Jägers hired for the occasion takes some shots of the family. His sisters fawn over his dapper new uniform yet quickly grow teary eyed; the youngest hugs him tight and begs him to be careful around those treacherous communists. Herr Jäger and Oma are stoic in their farewells, his father wishing him well, his grandmother urging him to remember "the true old ways, not these contrived stage directions for a bunch of actors" (Herr Jäger gently squeezes her arm to quiet her when spotting the sour look that flits across Jäger's face). Frau Jäger hugs him long and tight; "Come home to us," she whispers in his ear, "that's all I have left to ask of you, dear Ludolf, I already almost lost you once, please just come home to us," and at a touch from her husband has to let him go, wiping tears from her eyes. Jäger says his goodbyes to everyone before departing, promising to keep in touch. Not long after, Herr Jäger calls the family together: The war, and the current political atmosphere, are simply too dangerous for them to remain where they are. He's secured passports for everyone, and has been negotiating for a home outside Germany. He can't ensure that it'll be their final stop, as the Reich is seizing new territory left and right, what's outside the bounds of the German Empire might be a part of it the next day; he'd like to keep ahead of the Reichsadler's reach. While Oma and Frau Jäger don't care for the Reich's principles too much themselves, Herr Jäger's extreme decision perplexes them, yet, like Jäger, he refuses to be swayed to stay; "They aren't coming for us, nein," he says, "yet who's to say that someday they won't?" He says he'll write to their son, make sure he knows where they're headed, so he can choose to follow them at some future point or at least be able to remain in communication with them; he waits until receiving a return letter, Jäger letting them know he understands their desire to leave, yet he's staying where he is. He wishes them the best, and tells them he loves them. Frau Jäger covers her face and cries. She cries the entire time they pack their belongings and shutter the big mountain house; a groundskeeper will look after it for now, in case Jäger decides to return to it or else sell it. Neither her daughters nor her husband can console her, and Oma is just about as gloomy to say goodbye to their old home, complaining that the land and the rocks and trees will be different where they go, it'll be like talking to strangers. They book passage on the best train available, the girls ooh'ing and ahh'ing over all the sights they pass by, though Frau Jäger spends most of the trip in her sleeping bunk, bundled up in thick blankets and shut off from the world. Her heart is broken for her homeland and her son...she weeps and prays the entire trip, hoping so much they'll all be a family again someday. Jäger stays in touch throughout the war, though his letters are sporadic. His parents are overjoyed when he mentions finding a wife and settling down to start his own family. Their hopes of him joining them someday start to fade, however, when the war takes a bad turn for Germany. The tone of the letters grows erratic and strange, and finally furtive--almost paranoid--Herr Jäger privately expresses concern about their son's mental wellbeing. He'd always read or summarized the letters for his wife; she gets hold of them one day while he's away and reads them for herself. She's appalled by just how unhinged Jäger has been sounding in his more recent messages; when she shows the letters to Oma, begging to know if she's the only one sho sees it, Oma purses her lips. "Fantasies and makeup and stage props," she murmurs disapprovingly; "I warned the boy not to fall for a bunch of actors, but who am I to him, now...? Just a silly old woman." She obviously has more thoughts on the matter, but refrains from sharing them; yet it's clear to Frau Jäger that she's worried. Jäger's cryptic final letter toward the end of the war, in which he mentions needing to leave with his family yet doesn't say where--"I know they'll be looking for us"--just tries to reassure them he'll be all right--"Don't worry for me, meine Lieben, we'll be fine, the great glorious new world is coming! Heil Wotan! Heil Donar!"--seems to confirm their fears that something is amiss...and then come the scattered rumors of the Alpine Fortress and what exactly happened there. Jäger doesn't end up a casualty of the war, as Frau Jäger had feared he would...he ends up a casualty of his own deluded beliefs, and takes his entire family with him. In the blink of an eye, there go the hopes and aspirations of the family line. Frau Jäger's heart is broken. "My son, my sweet son," she sobs, curled up in her bed; "He was supposed to live. Why? Why...?" She dozes off and has a dream of little Ludolf in his sailor suit hopping into the bed to give her a big hug--"Love you, Mama!"--and her heart breaks anew when she snaps awake and realizes he's never coming back. Herr Jäger isn't much good at consoling her; he has to keep tending to his business, and when he sits beside her in the evenings he's at a loss for things to say. Their daughters are all lost in their own sad worlds, mourning their baby brother, their little doll. Time goes on, life goes on. One by one the Jäger daughters find husbands, start families. Frau Jäger pulls herself from her bed and forces herself through the motions of tending to the house, greeting the new grandchildren, welcoming new family members under the roof. She loves all the new babies, coddles all the new children...yet in the back of her head is always a deep sadness...none of them are Jägers, none of them are her son's children who died with him, none of them are her perfect little prince. Her eyes fill with tears yet again. If only it had been true, that he could do no wrong. See also Oma Jäger's entry and Herr Jäger's entry. [Frau Jäger [Friday, October 4, 2024, 12:02:17 AM]] |