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Antje Werner Blog Entry |
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May 19, 2023, 4:00:28 AM 5/19/23: r/SketchDaily theme, "Butterflies/Free Draw Friday." (I did Free Draw Friday.) This week's character from my anthro WWII storyline is Antje Werner, mother of Lt. Senta Werner (she has a name now!). She's not a major character but does play a big role in Senta's development. I've already given much of her story in her daughter's entry in my art Tumblr, later on Toyhou.se. Regarding her design, she's a Dalmatian. TUMBLR EDIT: Firstly: Much of Frau Werner's story, at least that which occurs during the main storyline, is given in daughter Senta's entry, HERE. So I suggest checking that out first. I don't know much about her and her husband's, Jürgen's (he got a name now!), pasts, how they met, why they got married; they aren't major characters so this info isn't terribly important just yet, maybe some other day. They're a respectable Aryan couple, middle class though quite well off financially, and Jürgen has plenty of connections in government and the military. Although not card-carrying Nazis (when that party later on forms--the timeline is a bit iffy so this likely occurs after she becomes a mother), they toe the party line; Antje more than her husband, at first. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl...the boy is delivered stillborn, the girl is delivered shortly after, squalling at the top of her lungs. Antje refuses to even acknowledge her, begging to see her son. She won't even name the newborn; Jürgen names her Senta. Over the following months, Antje's behavior deteriorates to the point of delusion, with her refusing to believe that Senta is her child or that her son is actually dead; the child's care is left exclusively to Jürgen, and he sends Antje to a sanatorium. She's repeatedly institutionalized throughout Senta's childhood, ostensibly for Senta's own safety as Jürgen worries about her angry fits and antagonism toward Senta, though I doubt Antje would've ever actually hurt her. (Although this particular diagnosis is never made, she's most likely suffering from some kind of postpartum psychosis.) Finally, Antje is sent home for good, her temper much more placid and subdued; the doctors announce they've done all they can on an inpatient basis. I'm not sure what exactly she went through to effect such a change in temperament; I suspect some sort of precursor to electroconvulsive therapy, which I don't think was quite a thing yet (it apparently came into use in the 1930s), though there were earlier versions of it. Whatever treatment Antje was subjected to, it may have evened out her volatile temper, yet it did nothing to fix her delusions; she's much milder and more polite to Senta now, but still doesn't recognize the girl as her own daughter, and expresses hope that her son will return someday. As time goes on, she does seem to gradually come to some realization that yes, this is her child--the girl lives with them, calls her Mama, even looks like her--but the understanding comes with a helping of resentment, as she tells Senta more than once, it was her son who should still be with them...she means no ill will toward Senta...but really, what good can a girl do? Especially a girl who shows no interest in finding a boy and starting a family one day, but instead constantly gets into fights and acts like a boy. Very unappealing. Of course, the main reason Senta acts like this is BECAUSE Antje is so insistent on having a son. Senta hopes, in the sad pathetic way of neglected children, to earn her mother's approval by becoming that which she wants most. A girl can't just become a boy, though (unless we're talking about someone like Trudi Detzer--see her entry for what I'm talking about--Senta is definitely not in Trudi's class, no matter what her actions, she always perceives herself as the gender she was born as), so the effort fails. Well, in its intended goal, at least. Senta does work hard enough (and Jürgen bribes officials well enough) to earn an honorary lieutenant's position in the Wehrmacht, though even her showing off her shiny new uniform to her mother hardly makes Antje bat an eye. Antje just inquires how Senta intends to ever find herself a decent man if she's going to keep playing the part of a boy? Moving on from Senta for a bit, as I've covered this in her entry. More things are going on behind the scenes than anyone knows. When the Nazi Party officially forms, Antje admires some of their basic principles, at least in theory; not the whole "Untermensch" thing, nah, she doesn't care one way or the other about Jews and Roma and Slavs and whatnot, but they seem to have some other solid ideas to get Germany back on the right track. Jürgen is mostly apathetic and offers little opinion on the matter at first, being too busy still handling both the raising of Senta (rather in blatant violation of the traditional gender roles the Nazis espouse) as well as figuring out the best treatment for his wife. She's no longer being shuttled through institutions, though she does still frequently visit doctors and specialists on an outpatient basis. And it's through these visits that she finally gets a firsthand peek at what EXACTLY the Nazis believe regarding people like her. She'd assumed she was safe, being a good pure-blooded Aryan, behaving like a good traditional wife, but it turns out the Nazis have been weeding out even more "undesirables" than she'd thought. And she fits the description of "undesirable" just perfectly. During one doctor visit, as Antje sits quietly while Jürgen goes to discuss her treatment with someone, she overhears some nurses' chatter nearby. They're talking in rather sneering, disdainful tones about some of the inpatients who wish to leave. Antje feels a bit disdainful herself, and mulls over asking Jürgen to take her to a different clinic if this is how they think of their own clients...when the tone of the chatter takes a distinctly dark turn. The nurses begin using the same language Antje has heard the party use for the Jews and others they deem undesirable...and they mention an institution Antje has heard of, she even almost went there for treatment once, before one of the nurses murmurs, "I hear the only way anyone gets out of there is through the chimneys," and the nurses giggle. Antje's blood instantly runs cold. She's heard that sort of talk before--from an SS officer, talking with some others while Jürgen took her on a trip through the city. These are nurses, though, not Schutzstaffel--it makes no sense for them to talk like this. What's going on? She has absolutely no one to ask for information from; she knows Jürgen will just tell her she's being hysterical. And although Senta hasn't noticed it yet, Antje has: He's been paying closer attention to the Nazi signs and speeches. The National Socialists have at last caught his eye. Antje may have her psychological struggles, but she's not stupid; in fact she's in an excellent position to keep quiet and observe. Whenever she goes for a doctor visit, she keeps her ears open. She also takes a closer look at the propaganda her husband brings home; assuming she's caught the fervor like he has, he willingly hands it over to her to study: "Perhaps it'll do you some good." Antje plays her good obedient housewife role as she pores over the Nazi literature, and finally the full truth starts becoming clearer: They despise "mental defectives," considering them a threat to the genetic superiority of the Aryan race, and so have been discouraging them from having families lest they spread their bad genes. There are far darker hints that appear only when one reads between the lines, though: The party has already been dealing with mental defectives in a different way, sending them to certain institutions from which they rarely seem to return. Including the institution Antje herself nearly went to. Unsure of what else to do, she broaches the subject with Jürgen. Hasn't he noticed, how odd it is, how nobody ever seems to leave that place alive...? As expected, he brushes off her concerns as overly imaginative, and hints that maybe her treatment isn't going so well, would another hospital stay do her good...? Antje quickly stops questioning--aloud. Though she does feign being a bit more poorly off than she actually is, and asks if, instead of going back in hospital, maybe they could find a new specialist for her to talk to instead? Perhaps that would do her some good. Jürgen seems a bit encouraged by her initiative, and agrees. Antje's done her homework. She's read the brochures for the various clinics, and she believes she's pinpointed one without obvious Nazi ties, one that seems to still focus on patient care and doesn't have a reputation for referring clients to places where they can only leave through the chimney. Jürgen's hesitation when she mentions the name of the place just convinces her she's made the right choice; "You're sure...?" he asks, seeming perplexed, "From what I understand that place doesn't have a very good reputation, they're very slow to get results, and they do everything so old fashioned." Antje knows what this means: They don't rely on quickly killing off their "incurable" patients. "These new things don't make me feel better, maybe I need something old fashioned...?" she asks, then plays a card she finds utterly distasteful, yet she's desperate: "Maybe...maybe it'll help get me closer to Senta...ja? Be the...be the mother I'm supposed to be." In her mind she still doesn't feel it, this connection to her own daughter, she still resents her for living while her brother died...but by now she'll use whatever tactic she can to survive. And by now she's also just about convinced that her own husband is mulling over letting the institutions kill her. To her relief, Jürgen goes along with her plan, and sets up an appointment at the clinic. The Werners go to speak with the lead doctor who would be in charge of Antje's treatment, Klemens Adrion. He seems warm and kind and invested in his patients recovering--though so have a lot of the other specialists she's seen, including those at the previous clinic. She's wary. Nevertheless, she knows she has to trust SOMEONE, and this is the most promising place so far. She plans to feign getting better so with hope she can find a way to get out of the country and to safety, even if it means separating from Jürgen; she just isn't sure how she'll manage it yet. And...surprisingly...the thought of leaving Senta behind is starting to wear on her. Dr. Adrion listens to the Werners' concerns and answers their questions. Jürgen is skeptical of how useful his clinic's old-fashioned methods may be, especially when he admits they don't utilize the recommended, "state-of-the-art" techniques the Nazis espouse, though he keeps his phrasing just vague enough to avoid raising any red flags. Antje jumps in before Jürgen can decline, expressing hope that an outside-the-box approach might be just what she needs when all else has failed. Her entreaties are so convincing that Jürgen gives in, and Dr. Adrion takes on Antje as a new outpatient. For a time, she does sincerely partake of therapy there, which Dr. Adrion administers himself, explaining to her, "I don't view patients as broken people, needing to be 'fixed'; I see patients as wounded, needing to be healed. Just because it's in your mind doesn't mean the injury isn't real. Your wounds are as genuine as those of a soldier on the battlefield. We just need to find the right way to heal them." When Antje expresses doubt, that many others tried the same and failed, he adds, "Just like a soldier, you might never be whole. Sometimes a soldier loses an eye, or a leg. That part will always be missing, but he learns to adapt. You can't see your treatment as a complete success, or a complete failure. You may simply need to adapt." He says that the mere fact she's able to recognize that yes, Senta is her child and no, her son is not coming back, no matter how wrong it feels, is a good sign, and a very big step in itself. She isn't crazy. She still has the ability to reason. As time goes by, Antje reaches the uncomfortable realization that she's developed feelings for the doctor, while her love for her husband has mostly faded into resentment and fear. Jürgen never threatens her, though his attitude is just condescending and patronizing enough to make her feel like an ignorant child whenever he addresses her, as if he always knows what's best. He treats Senta decently, and is in charge of caring for them both and the family's finances, plus he keeps the Nazis placated so they don't come snooping around to find out about Antje's condition, so she tolerates him, while still trying to think of ways to escape. When Senta, now the recipient of an honorary lieutenancy in the Wehrmacht (thanks to bribes on Jürgen's part), gets a post at the estate of a wealthy Junker named Louis Dobermann, the gears in her head start spinning. Herr Dobermann is a widower, and very influential in Nazi circles, despite not being one himself. Yes, he's old enough to be Senta's father--he even has a daughter who's just slightly younger than Senta is--but Senta expresses interest in him, and Antje doesn't balk at the idea. It might be her only chance at finding a man, and even if that doesn't happen (Dobermann's shown no interest in remarrying or even taking a mistress), still...there are rumors. Rumors that Dobermann's friendship with the Nazis is just a front, and he might be more sympathetic to the opposite side than most think. Might. (He illegally employs a Jewish doctor in his home, for example...yet he lets an SS officer live there, too.) Senta seems unaware of this rumor; since she and her father are close, Antje never mentions the rumor to her. For all she knows, Senta even agrees with the Nazis. (It'd be interesting if there's a scene where Antje and Dobermann get to speak, albeit briefly, during a meeting (most likely she and Jürgen would be visiting during one of the Dobermann estate's lavish parties). I imagine Jürgen chatting a bit with Dobermann first, Dobermann putting up with him, then Antje offering a few words after Jürgen walks away, and hinting at the rumors in a manner that catches Dobermann a bit off guard; he doesn't confirm or deny, but he does look vaguely perplexed. I don't know the details or purpose of such a potential scene yet, though.) One day Antje finally confides in Dr. Adrion her fears of what her husband, and the Third Reich by extension, may end up doing to her; she admits she worries too that the doctor will turn her in, but she has no one else she can trust. Dr. Adrion is silent and pensive at first, but then says, "Let me show you something." He invites her to his office, and taking hold of a bookcase, pulls it away from the wall. Behind it is a concealed passageway. Antje isn't surprised by the existence of such a passage--Senta has confirmed rumors that the Dobermann household is full of them--yet to see one HERE, in the doctor's office, is a surprise. Dr. Adrion doesn't offer any explanations or details before concealing the passage again, though he does open up a small hidden compartment in his desk--"Like you, I pray I don't regret this"--and takes out something which he offers to her. Antje accepts a playing card--the jack of diamonds. She looks at Dr. Adrion with wide eyes. He says, "Use this, but only when you have the greatest need to do so. I have no others to offer. I'm giving this to you." Antje is an excellent listener, and has carefully kept track of everything Jürgen mentions offhand whenever he returns from trips into the city to visit his Nazi associates. A frequent cause of complaints is something known as the Diamond Network. This is a large, scattered, widespread resistance effort aimed primarily at liberating and relocating victims of Nazi persecution, though they're also known, on a smaller scale more localized to the city, for committing acts of what the Nazis call terrorism, mostly bombings of known Nazi gathering places. The loose, disorganized nature of the group is the very thing that helps ensure its ongoing success--it's impossible to capture or rout out enough members in one go to ever make a significant dent in their numbers, and no one member ever knows where a significant number of others may be found, or even who they are. The nominal leader of the Network, a former jeweler and document forger named Josef Diamant, is especially elusive, the other Network members consistently refusing to offer information on his whereabouts even if they do know. Due to an oversight when he was processed into the labor camp, no known photos of him exist, so aside from a general description the Nazis can't even put out a decent approximation of his physical appearance. He's been the resistance member most wanted by the Nazis since he murdered the previous camp commandant and escaped. It's certain that he's engaged with people in public more than once (always in disguise--he even makes occasional use of a stolen SS uniform), and he freely leaves behind taunting messages in association with his intricate, clockwork explosives. Diamant and his Network have achieved near-legendary status by now, and judging by the way Jürgen always goes on about them whenever he returns home, they've become a powerful and serious thorn in the Nazis' side. There's one other detail, though. Core members of the Network have nicknames associated with them, and Diamant's nickname is the Jack of Diamonds. Antje understands immediately what Dr. Adrion is hinting to her: He has a connection to the Network, and he's willing to use it to get her to safety if she requests it. It's exactly the out she's been hoping for; she chose who to trust wisely. Now, however, remains the job of figuring out WHEN is the best time to take advantage of this out, and how to get Senta to go along. Because by now, Antje can hardly bear the thought of leaving her behind. I assume that throughout most of the story Antje remains in the background, carefully watching the developing situation while gathering her resources to prepare to flee. Dr. Adrion provides her with occasional bits of info and encouragement, though they can never get very deeply into it lest unfriendly ears be listening. When Jürgen starts hinting at suspicious activity that may be taking place at the Dobermann estate, her own ears prick; she's both hopeful that her own suspicions regarding Dobermann were accurate, as well as filled with dread that Jürgen has heard these same rumors. This indicates that anyone could know, and Dobermann and anyone associated with him may be in danger. This of course includes Senta. I've already described how things come to a head in Senta's entry. Jürgen has just the right connections to learn of a bizarre meeting that's taken place: Adelina Dobermann, Dobermann's daughter, apparently met with Diamant himself, a situation arranged with the aid of a neighbor and close friend of Dobermann's, Katharina von Thiel, and a Wehrmacht sergeant stationed at the Dobermann estate, Stephen Gerhardt. Gerhardt had already been on the Nazis' radar as a suspicious person even though his papers and records are mostly in order and he's been vouched for by Lt. Gunter Hesse, the SS officer also stationed in the Dobermann house. Hesse is in the SS's security and intelligence division, so his say carries a lot of weight; however, Jürgen privately expresses doubt about his competence, given his involvement in a prior investigation involving the death of a Nazi official and Dobermann's wife, Inga. Inga's body was prematurely removed from the scene, and Hesse appeared to fast-track the investigation and downplay Inga's involvement. Jürgen correctly surmises that Hesse had romantic feelings for Inga, and allowed that to cloud his judgement. As for von Thiel, Jürgen has long distrusted her, largely because she's never married and become a good dutiful Aryan wife; she's brash and outspoken, dresses a bit too modern, wears makeup, is too independent, has too many opinions. It's strange and unseemly that she and the prudish, conservative, traditional Dobermann are such good friends, yet they are; in fact, there have also been rumors of them being romantically involved, though this is untrue. Jürgen can easily believe that people like von Thiel and Gerhardt are collaborating with the resistance; Dobermann is rather a surprise, but given his standoffish attitude toward the Nazis over the years, Jürgen is willing to believe he's a traitor as well. Somebody leaks news of Adelina's meeting with Diamant at von Thiel's house. I'm not sure who, given how careful both households have been about their involvement in the Network, yet somehow the word gets out. Dobermann is highly influential and still constantly courted by high-ranking Nazi officials for access to his property; additionally, he's VERY popular among the regular folk in the city due to sizable charitable donations he's made (there were even plans to erect a statue of him in the square, plans which he himself scuttled), plus he's quite protective of Addy, and he still has the backing of Hesse and his division of the SS, so nobody is willing to mess with him lightly. So it takes a bit for anyone to act on this info; likely they're afraid of pissing off any Nazis who still trust Dobermann by leveling accusations against his family. When Jürgen receives word of yet more hinky business about to go down at the Dobermann estate, he decides to pass along the info like a good little snitch. A convoy of Wehrmacht vehicles is promptly dispatched to investigate and possibly intercept anyone meeting there--the rumor is that one of these parties is Inga Dobermann herself. Allegedly, she's still alive--she's the reason Addy went to meet with Diamant. Inga and Dobermann had faked her death, Hesse had unwittingly aided them, and Diamant and von Thiel took Inga into hiding. And now Gerhardt, likely an Allied spy, has gotten involved, and Addy is a part of it all, too. Jürgen and Antje live in the suburbs so they aren't there to see it all go down, though the news travels fast due to Jürgen's connections. Senta is the one who witnesses at least part of the action. The moment the Wehrmacht is informed of "something"--although they're not entirely sure what--occurring on the Dobermann property, the SS's intelligence division is alerted as well, and Hesse, currently in the city (where, BTW, everything else is rapidly deteriorating, given that Allied forces are on their way and the remainder of the SS is attempting to implement some haphazard martial law), hurries off after them. Although Jürgen has an inkling of what's going on and who is involved, neither the Wehrmacht nor the Schutzstaffel has any clue what they're about to find. Inga has just returned to the estate, and Diamant arrives as well. It's a lot similar to the night Inga killed the Nazi intruder all that time ago and basically, everyone shows up around the same time. The Wehrmacht troops arrive just slightly ahead of Hesse and manage to round up the Dobermanns; when Hesse appears, he's beyond stunned to confront Inga, whom he'd thought long dead. Even more shocking to everyone is that Inga is wearing a Star of David necklace: She's Jewish. There's an altercation in which PFC Helmstadt, one of the Wehrmacht troops who help guard the Dobermann property, attempts to attack Dobermann but is shot and killed by Sgt. Volker, who doesn't live at the estate but had grown close to the residents; figuring out that he, Senta, and Sgt. Holt are loyal to the Dobermanns, the commander of the Wehrmacht troops orders them temporarily confined in the stables. Diamant unwillingly escapes, I'm not sure what becomes of Gerhardt but I believe he's forced to accompany him, and the Dobermanns are to be taken into custody for likely execution. Hesse holds them at gunpoint but falters when Addy jumps in front of her father, yet then volunteers to drive them back to the city, to SS headquarters, presumably for interrogation. Tobias Schäfer, the Jewish doctor who Dobermann rescued from the labor camp years ago, willingly goes along with them despite what's likely to happen, and Hesse marches the family out to his car, they get in, and they depart as the Wehrmacht takes control of the Dobermann estate and attempts to track down Diamant. Part of this has already been told in Senta's entry; see Volker's entry for how this part of the plot has since shifted significantly. As Diamant meets with his associate Lukas Mettbach and likely Gerhardt, Volker (who is wounded), Holt, and Senta are put in the stables to await their fate. Lukas finds them there when he breaks in to steal the horses, and points out an escape route; they take it and manage to get far enough away from the estate to head back toward the city, likely stealing a car along the way. (Holt heads off on his own.) Not knowing where else to go, they head to Senta's home to seek medical aid for Volker. Jürgen is surprised by their appearance, but lets them in and fetches bandages for Volker. Senta breathlessly attempts to fill her father in on what just happened...but, strangely, he's already aware of some of the details. Senta quickly catches on that something's amiss--how does he know what only JUST happened at the Dobermann estate, unless he's involved somehow? And that's how Senta finds out what her mother suspected long ago: Her father's a fellow traveler, and he's been spying on the Dobermanns for a good long while now, just awaiting the moment to rat them out to the party. Given his previous political apathy, Senta hadn't even noticed his shifting views, but Antje sure did. As Jürgen and Senta start arguing--Senta defending the Dobermanns as her friends, Jürgen sneering about them being race traitors--Antje creeps into the room, wondering what's going on. Jürgen, of course, tells her it's nothing and to go back to bed; but Volker's wound and Senta's disheveled state tell her it's indeed something. Her insides twist on hearing the way Jürgen refers to Inga and Addy--the same way the Nazis refer to people like her--and then Senta retorts that the Dobermanns are far better people than Jürgen will ever be. Jürgen slaps her across the face. And Antje erupts in rage. All those years of shuttling in and out of hospitals, all the condescension, the belittling, the downplaying, the gaslighting--all the years of being told she was just hysterical, it was all in her head, she was imagining it, her husband knew best--all of that abruptly roars to the surface the second Jürgen's hand meets Senta's face. Antje suddenly doesn't see Jürgen slapping Senta--she sees him slapping her daughter, and she lunges forward and hauls off and smacks him as hard as she can, herself. She barely even notices how comically wide everyone's eyes go, most of all Jürgen's, before launching into a tirade, vowing to kill Jürgen if he tries such a thing again. And of course Jürgen's reaction is to insist she and Senta are crazy. Senta grasps her mother's arm and urges them to go before Jürgen can snap to his senses and call the authorities on them; she, Antje, and Volker hurry off. When Volker and Senta express regret that they don't have any connection to the Diamond Network to take advantage of, Antje suggests they go to Dr. Adrion's clinic...if he's still there, he might be able to help. She shows them what she's kept concealed from Jürgen all this time: the jack of diamonds card. She's kept it on her person waiting for just the right moment to use it, and this looks like that moment at last. It could be their literal ticket to freedom, if they hurry. Antje's, Senta's, and Volker's escape is covered in Senta's entry. They leave Jürgen behind and never bother looking into what becomes of him afterward, whether he survives the Allied capture of the city or escapes or not; whatever his fate, he never contacts them, either. Senta doesn't end up with Dobermann, but she does end up with Volker, who it turns out is a count (not that it matters much anymore, but still); although he'd been a member of the Nazi Party, this had been more for the opportunities it afforded, and he quickly abandoned the swastika after siding with the Dobermanns. He meets Dr. Adrion again after the war and reintroduces him to Antje. Senta had picked up on the obvious feelings between the two when he helped them escape, although Antje insisted they'd never acted inappropriately, which is true. Adrion's clinic had been shuttered following the Allied takeover and he's no longer in active practice; he visits Antje at the cottage where she's now staying with Senta and Volker. Antje actually feels butterflies seeing him again, and the smile he offers proves he feels the same. They sit in the parlor and talk for hours and never once does she feel belittled or condescended toward the way she always felt trying to talk with Jürgen. For the first time outside therapy, she feels heard, and she feels at least a little bit sane. Needless to say, Adrion becomes a frequent visitor, and Antje's fractured relationship with Senta slowly starts to mend as well. [Antje Werner 2023 [Friday, May 19, 2023, 4:00:28 AM]] |