Azzy
[Azymondeus Arlert]
- first concept in 2020
Born in the 29th of January, 852, in The Lighthouse. To Mikasa Ackermann & Armin Arlert. Azymondeus or "Azzy" (or just "Az") was named after a book character that marked his parents' childhood.
Azzy's extended family includes two maternal uncles - Levi Ackermann (Mikasa's first cousin) and his step-uncle, Eren Yeager (Mikasa's stepbrother); still on his mother’s side, Azzy is of Hizurian descendancy and a member of the Azumabito clan, an ancient sword-forging family. This connection will prove important to him in his journey. On his father’s side, Azzy has the late Commander Erwin Smith as a distant cousin. Erwin is a descendant of Diana Tybur, who later became Diana Smith when living inside the Walls. She remarried after Ode was already a young adult; while Armin is a direct descendant of Ode, Erwin is a descendant of one of his half-siblings. In a similar way, Azzy is a distant cousin of William Tybur, but on the other side of the family. After all, Diana was first married to Armin Tybur, before the Walls were created. Ode Tybur, their only son, later decided to change his name to "Arlert" to avoid persecution from the "Reiss" (Fritz) family.
In the same way that his Azumabito connection is a very important part of Azzy's journey, so are his Ackermann and Tybur sides.
For physical characteristics, Az inherited most of his physical attributions from his grandfather, Cillian "Key" Ackermann. But he also looks a great deal like his father, and according to Eren Yeager, he also looks like Captain Levi. Azzy is tall and lean, he quickly surpassed his father's height in between the ages of fourteen and fifteen (getting to 1.73m when he was only fourteen, as we see in Arc I); as a grown adult, Az reached 1.85m. He has dark blue eyes and "honey coloured" hair that Mikasa likes to part to the side. He is a very skilled fighter, who was harshly trained from childhood by his uncle Levi. Azzy is also a natural strategist, and a quick thinker like his father. But in crucial circumstances, he keeps letting his emotions get the better of him, and that is his undoing.
About his unnatural time/space hopping abilities, the origin of that is a mystery to him and to his family. It is the plot-driving force of Attack On Titan Changes, and like it was said in Chapter Eight. He doesn’t know where this power comes from yet.
"But he will find out, eventually"
Sunny
[Sonnenblume Arlert]
- first concept in 2020
Born in the Spring of 855, in the marlean continent. Sonnenblume or "Sunny" (or "Blue") is the second child of Mikasa Ackermann and Armin Arlert. She has Azzy as her older brother, and they grew up together travelling between Marley and Hizuru with their parents, until the family finally settled in the "smallest" Azumabito House. All this in the second timeline of course. Sonnen was barely a fetus when her mother was killed in the "rumbling" of the first timeline (in Arc I: "the old world"); her empath abilities are considered to be related to that first Paths experience, and the main ramifications of that forgotten life. Even if Sonnenblume herself helped her brother "fix" the broken timeline, her Paths connection and her empath abilities towards Eldians will remain with her throughout all timelines.
The name Sonnenblume means "sunflower", but the smallish girl is mostly called "Sunny" by her family for her bright spirit and unparalleled energy. Sunny is quite messy as a child and later as a teenager, she is very tomboyish and is always getting herself into trouble or "shenanigans", always accompanied by her older brother.
The "Azzy" and "Sunny" nicknames were given to the children by Mikasa.
As Azzy's full-blooded sister, Sunny obviously shares with him the same connections to the Azumabito, Ackermann and Tybur families.
Sunny is often considered to look eerily similar to Armin's mother Valeria. From her "bright yellow eyes" to her smiles and cheerful (and curious) nature. "Even her mannerisms" according to Armin himself. But she also shares some characteristics with her mother. She has Mikasa's voice and cadence, she can be very somber and she does "love a fight" just like any other Ackermann. Sonnenblume has her "bright yellow eyes" and her "caramel" hair, wavy like her grandmother’s. Although she is quite petite at twelve years of age (at the beginning of Arc II); she grows up to be 1.71m.
Sonnenblume has a closer relationship with her father, opposite to the close relationship Azzy has with their mother. She is also very fond of her only brother and tells him (despite all his incredible mistakes) that she still trusts him and that:
"she might be the only person in the world that trusts him"
(and that is probably true)
Ymir & Ezra
Reiss-Yeager [or Fritz-Yeager]
- first concept in 2021/2022
Born in the 31st of October, 854, at the Queen's farm (situated in the Reiss Lands of Paradise Island); Ymir is born first in all timelines, while Ezra is born second, which gives the princess the automatic birthright to the Eldian Throne. The complete reversed situation of two very similar Royal twins, 2000 years before: Torin and Elke Fritz; with the eldest, Prince Torin inhering the throne ahead of his only sister.
Princess Ymir however, automatically loses her birthright when she disappears and is declared dead in the 22nd of January, 859. This event always happens in all timelines. In the first timeline that creates a real problem, since Ezra is only a stillborn in that version of reality. This leaves Queen Historia completely without heirs with Ymir's untimely disappearance in 859. That event also completely breaks the relationship between the Queen and her lover, Eren Yeager, who blames himself for his daughter’s disappearance. Now in the second timeline, Prince Ezra is born alive, and automatically becomes the heir to the Eldian Throne after the "tragedy of 859", taking his sisters place, and that is a burden he doesn’t carry lightly. Ezra has many parallels to his 2000 years ago counterpart, Torin Fritz.
The Twins have a very strong bond and an eerie connection to Paths and through their joined Titan powers. This emotional (and powers) connection will be explored in more detail in Arc III. But it has already been seen in Arc II. (and hinted at in Arc I)
For characteristics and personality: Ymir and Ezra have reversed eyes when comparing to their parents', with Ymir inheriting Eren's strong green eyes and Ezra inhering Queen Historia's candid purplish blue eyes. Reaching adulthood, Ezra gets to 1.83m while Ymir stagnates at 1.65m (which is not that low considering Carla's and Historia's heights); Ymir physically resembles her grandmother Alma (and not only physically) but also her aunt Frieda and her father; while Ezra is considered to be a "carbon copy" of his father Eren, "down to the eyebrows" (but not the eyes), he definitely differs wildly from his father personality-wise. Ezra also takes after Grisha and Uri.
I could make a long text about Ymir & Ezra's Founding Titan connection, but since that is at the very core of Attack On Titan Changes' message and is also a main plot-line for the Final Arc, I should probably leave it for when the fic is completed. ;)
These are the four core characters of Attack On Titan Changes, now you can say that I made this to be a AoT "Next Gen" type of story, but if you already read some of my chapters you know there's a lot more to it than that!
:)
-Creative Tree