Greta Neidhardt
"I'll protect you! Even if the rest of the world hates you, even if you hate yourself, I believe in you and the good you can do, so don't give up. ...Yeah. Don't give up."
—Greta Neidhardt
—Greta Neidhardt
Greta is a young violinist who lives in the city of Weimar, Germany with her parents, Ambrosius and Elise Neidhardt. In stories, she generally plays the role of the everyman protagonist, grappling with issues of self-worth, insignificance, belonging, and autonomy.
Appearance
Greta is a fair-skinned young woman with dark, wavy brown hair and grey eyes. She is of average height (165 cm in adulthood), with a slender frame due to her quick metabolism. As a teenager, Greta favours conservative clothing in neutral, pastel, and earth tones. Most of her wardrobe consists of natural fabric — cotton, wool, silk, or linen — purchased by her parents from high-end brands. From her time in university onward, her sense of personal style develops, and she typically adds bright colours, clashing textures, and eye-straining textiles to her arsenal.Personality
On the surface, Greta appears to be fairly happy and easygoing, with a natural tendency to look for the silver linings even in difficult situations. She enjoys the company of others and easily makes friends, although she may be shy about approaching strangers and can focus on making a good impression over showing them her authentic self. Somewhat spacey, Greta can give off the impression of allowing things and events to happen to her, rather than taking agency in her own life. However, she's also curious, idealistic, warm, and creative, with some of her favourite hobbies being playing the violin, reading Latin classical literature, baking and gardening with her father Ambrosius, and composing small pieces of her own.NOTICE: Spoilers below.
Under the surface, Greta is, contrary to her image, lonely, melancholy, and deeply insecure. Years of being an outcast both among her family and out in the world have left her uncertain about where she belongs and who loves her, existential questions that leave her distressed and unable to form lasting attachments, even to people she loves and respects. As a result of her deep loneliness, Greta often gives up her autonomy to others in an effort to resolve her anxiety, trusting that they have her best interests in mind and that fulfilling another's expectations is a suitable substitute for finding her purpose. However, she usually finds nothing but more suffering.To cope with her suffering, Greta thus puts up the façade of a carefree, laid-back young woman, though the truth is anything but. She denies her sadness, framing her avoidance as resilience, and will run away from or tune out situations that seem to be leading to interpersonal conflict. She bottles up her negative feelings, which she has a tendency to unleash on unsuspecting parties when her frustrations have grown to boiling point, and then stews in extreme guilt at the thought of hurting anyone. At her worst, all of her internalised negativity can cause Greta to withdraw from the world, retreating inward in a kind of emotional catatonia that makes people feel as if she is "not at home." Happily, she is usually able to grow from her experiences into a more well-rounded human being — so long as she has the supports around her to do it.
Relationships
Ambrosius Neidhardt
For the first five years of her life, Greta's primary caretaker was her father, Ambrosius. The two have a loving and supportive relationship, although Greta is increasingly embarrassed (and frustrated) by his loud, uncouth behaviour, conservative politics, and overprotective parenting as she grows older. For his part, Ambrosius appears unaware of any complaints Greta may have about him. The two enjoy cooking, baking, gardening, and playing music together.Elise Neidhardt
As the primary breadwinner of the household, Elise has been less present in Greta's life than Ambrosius, especially during her early childhood. Despite her reduced involvement (or perhaps because of it), Greta holds her mother in high regard, finding her elegant, sophisticated, and smart. Elise is generally more lax than her husband about Greta's independence. However, Greta sometimes feels that her mother could have provided her with more support, a desire that she experiences some difficulty articulating (or even coming to terms with).Florian Maximilian Hohenberg
See also: Florian/GretaGreta's first cousin once removed, Florian assumed the role of her "music tutor" as soon as she was old enough to receive her first violin. In practice, his role is broader in scope than the term would imply, and he concerns himself not only with evaluating her annual progress, but her personal growth and professional development. Greta idolises Florian more than her parents and, arguably, any other human being; as such, she submits herself to his will in ways she would hesitate with others, and their relationship typically transcends the boundaries of what is expected or even appropriate for blood relatives.
Lukas Lindqvist
See also: Kissed GoodnightLukas is Greta's complement and main love interest, a schoolteacher who naturally plays off of her innate curiosity and eagerness to learn about the world outside Weimar. Despite the disparity in age, the two of them typically become close friends in a matter of hours, and their friendship provides them with valuable intellectual stimulation that serves as the basis for mutual attraction. However, Greta can sometimes become frustrated with Lukas's evasiveness, especially when she desires concrete answers about life's questions — and Lukas, anxious that Greta will lose all respect for him, should she learn the truth.
Johannes Engelstädter
See also: Johannes/GretaIn most settings, Greta and Johannes are, at best, vaguely aware of the existence of the other. When they do meet, they tend to be immediately, powerfully drawn to each other, with a significant overlap in hobbies, interests, aesthetic preferences, and personalities. In some cases, and under certain circumstances, their relationship is positive, stable, and mutually rewarding. In most cases, however, Johannes and Greta are anything but. If anything, they have the highest potential for mutual destruction out of Greta's potential love interests, proving that in some cases, there is such a thing as too alike.
The Neidhardts
Greta feels alienated from the other Neidhardts due to being branded an "outsider," a status granted to her and her mother, Elise, for their perceived roles in Ambrosius's early retirement. However, several of her family members still appear to be on friendly terms with her, including Hansel, her cousin, and Roman, another cousin of some kind (she's fuzzy on the details). She hopes to be accepted by the family someday on the basis of her talent, a wish that motivates her to work as hard as possible under Florian's guidance.History
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Other Settings
AU
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Info hereTrivia
- Greta shares a birthday with Weimar's most famous resident, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August).
- Her favourite flower is the giant sunflower.
- Her favourite holiday is Christmas, and she's especially excited for the Christkindlmärkte each year.
- As a teenager, she also enjoys writing poetry and charcoal drawing, but drops both once she chooses a professional career.
- Songs associated with Greta include: "Nine" by Sleeping At Last, "Paradise" by Coldplay, and "Sorry Haha I Fell Asleep" by Egg (mylifeisayolk).
Gallery
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