Johannes Engelstädter
"...I believe that I will be miserable. But I force myself to forget."
—Johannes Engelstädter
—Johannes Engelstädter
The final character of the main four, Johannes is a Viennese concert pianist known for his clean (some would say too clean) interpretations of Baroque- and Classical-era composers. Despite being somewhat less likely to encounter Greta than the others, he often makes for her most intense relationship when he does, for better or for worse...
Appearance
Johannes is a middle-aged man of average height (178 cm) and slightly above average weight. He has dark eyes and dark, loosely curled hair which is increasingly shot through with grey as the years pass, as well as oval glasses of varying metal frames. Johannes's complexion is light. He has a resting expression sometimes read by others as irritated or aloof, thanks to a near-constant furrow of his eyebrows. His wardrobe consists of both natural and (semi-)synthetic fabrics, but in general, he favours soft and breathable pieces of formal wear in warm, organic colours, especially pink. He has a noted fondness for jabots and brooches despite their relative rarity in modern fashion, and house robes and quarter zip sweaters are also common sights in everyday encounters.Personality
The impression that Johannes leaves on most individuals who interact with him is of an aloof, well-mannered man who seems a little preoccupied, even when engaged in direct conversation. Generally even-tempered, he can take others off-guard when he expresses irritation or anger with a person or situation, or when he responds in uncharacteristically curt fashion. In social and interpersonal contexts, Johannes tends to go only toward topics that interest him, withholding personal opinions and observations until they become relevant or advantageous. Most find that they have difficulty grasping his true character, instead catching glimpses of his interests, professional life, and social conduct as he reveals them.NOTICE: Spoilers below.
In reality, Johannes's emotions are strong, sometimes stronger than he can control or vent in a healthy way. Contrary to his stiff presentation, he places a high value on pleasure and intimacy, which he often pursues at the expense of logic or self-preservation. Johannes lives according to an idealistic vision of what he wishes his world would look like, rather than the dirty, disappointing reality, and so makes deliberate choices about whom he invites into that world and/or shares his pleasures with. Typically, he chooses one person at a time, someone with qualities that he admires and wants to cultivate in himself. At times, these relationships function smoothly, but more often, they become issues of contention as the person fails to live up to his idealised expectations for them — expectations that weren't negotiated or discussed before Johannes began to enforce them. To keep his chosen partner where he wants them, Johannes will resort to any behaviour — manipulation, force, coaxing, begging, punishment, or reward — that proves effective, and he has no qualms about losing reputation or enduring physical violence if it means preserving what he sees as "love." Without knowing it, what Johannes is truly seeking is someone to complete the parts of him that he feels are lacking or even entirely missing... and he usually appears oblivious to the destructive power of his behaviour until he's already damaged his loved ones in some way, his attempts to reconcile coming far, far too late.Relationships
Annette Engelstädter
Due to her son being born out of wedlock, Johannes's mother raised him more or less on her own, for better or for worse. As such, his feelings toward her are complicated, ranging from debt, resentment, and fear to loyalty, respect, and love. Annette taught Johannes most of his homemaking skills, including cooking, baking, housekeeping, and gardening. In the present, Johannes and his mother are low-contact, calling a few times a year for twenty to thirty minutes at a time. He doesn't understand why speaking with her always leaves him feeling worse, but the guilt of not reaching out to her would gnaw at him more, so he tries to be a dutiful son.Hans-Peter Reisinger
The identity of Johannes's father was unknown to him until, in his mid-twenties, far-right populist politician Hans-Peter Reisinger bequeathed a considerable sum to him in his will. Disguised as a donation to a pianist he admired, Johannes's mother disclosed the true significance of his statement to her son, leaving Johannes floored and with more questions than answers. Those questions, however, remain unanswered due to Annette's tight-lipped silence. As such, Johannes has kept his father's name a secret to all but Carmen, turning the questions over and over again in his mind: Why hadn't they ever met in person? What did his father know about him? And finally: What parts of him are like Hans-Peter, a man who abandoned his mother and stood for so many things that Johannes doesn't believe in?Carmen Wolter
For reasons he doesn't entirely understand, Johannes and his wife, Carmen, have been separated for the last ten years. Prior to that separation, the couple enjoyed a (mostly) stable, predictable marriage, though Carmen frequently expressed frustration with Johannes's stubbornness and lack of motivation to change. Toward the end of their time together, she began distancing herself from her husband before disappearing entirely, leaving her house and everything they own in Döbling in his care. If anyone asks, Johannes will say that Carmen's departure no longer affects him, but his behaviour suggests just the opposite: He takes longer to open up to others than he used to, especially women, and believes that if he does put his trust in an individual, the relationship is sure to lead to a betrayal.Gregor Haas
Gregor is Johannes's canon love interest, a young writer looking for inspiration after a moderately successful first novel. Initially repulsed by Johannes's feelings for him, Gregor nonetheless feels a pull toward him that he can't explain, and the two typically initiate a sexual relationship before Gregor can even approach the idea of love or romance. Overall, this is a stormy, push-pull relationship with dom/sub undertones, and while Johannes will put up with Gregor's internalised and externalised homophobia to an extent, he's never too far from reminding him who's really in power between them.Greta Neidhardt
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.
History
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Other Settings
AU
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Info hereTrivia
- Johannes's birthday is 10 November.
- His list of favourite foods consists entirely of sweets and/or baked goods. As a child, he would often put up with meals only for the eventual dessert.
- Some of his favourite composers are Scarlatti, Mozart, and Brahms.
- In the colder months, Johannes enjoys ice skating and skiing.
- Songs associated with Johannes include "Commissioning a Symphony in C" by Cake and Ballade, Op. 15 by Teresa Carreño.
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