Armin Arlert

Armin Arlert is the orphaned son of James and Sarah Arlert. He is an English Auslander who lives in the enclosed city of Leipzig on the southern side of the Outer Wall. He lives with his grandfather and for the past eight years has been helping run his bookstore in the outer suburbs of the Northern District.

Appearance
Armin stands at 167cm in height and has a slender build. He is not physically very strong, which combines with a rounded face to give him a somewhat effeminate appearance. He has large, grey blue eyes and blonde hair that he cuts himself in a rough bob, though he tries to brush it as neatly as possible. He dresses as well as he can manage for his class, keeping his clothes clean and tidy.

Early Life
Armin was born in Wurzen in Northern Saxony to English parents James and Sarah Arlert, less than a year after they were married. He was born very small and came close to dying. His parent's next child was not so lucky, being stillborn and malformed. Not wanting to risk the same fate on any further children, the Arlerts decided that Armin would be their only child. As such they loved him very dearly, lavishing him with extra attention.

The Arlert family was solidly middle class at the time, with James Arlert working as a successful author and Sarah as an actress. This meant that Armin enjoyed a very pleasant and sheltered upbringing for the first eight years of his life. He took to reading and writing very earnestly, though he was always more interested in literal writing, as opposed to fiction like his father.

Parent's Death
In 1902 the Arlert family took a holiday to Dresden. They chose the place in part because they would be able to stand on top of the Outer Wall and look out at the world beyond. Both of Armin's parents had romantic ideas about the world beyond the Walls and wanted to see the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) that marked the border of old Bohemia. In a tragic accident the pair strayed onto some of the scaffolding being used to conduct maintenance, which collapsed. The pair fell 50m down, presumably to their deaths. Due to their bodies being outside the Walls no effort could be made to recover them before the corpses were eaten by Titans.

Armin was naturally devastated, both by the loss of his parents and by the radical change that his life was to suddenly undergo. He was looked after by the local military police for several days until his grandfather-Armin Arlert senior-could come and collect him. Armin had to move to Leipzig and live with his grandfather from then on. It did not help that at the time Armin did not know Armin sr. very well. His living standards also dropped dramatically as he found himself now a member of the lower class.

Life in Leipzig
Though he did not adapt quickly to his new life, Armin was able to find some sense of stability in the following years. He worked in his grandfather's bookshop and took some comfort in reading through many of the books there. He developed such a good knowledge of the store's inventory that his grandfather often left him to mind the shop on his own.

It was one of those times when Armin had been left behind the counter, that a tall man with dark hair came into the shop, followed by his eleven-year-old son. The man, while impressed with Armin's knowledge of books, asked after some very particular things that Armin had never heard of. Naturally he called for his grandfather, then became flustered when he realised that he had done so in English on accident. The man waved off his apology however, and Armin found himself left to converse with his young son. The boy's name was Eren, and he was very curious about Armin's Auslander heritage and language. Not seeing a good reason not to, Armin began to tell him all about it.

Only a week later Dr. Jäger and his son returned to the bookstore again. After a while their visits became regular and Eren and Armin became good friends. For Armin it was something of a relief, as he almost never had anybody to talk to or play games with as a child. The pair's friendship would continue unabated, only growing stronger as the years drew on.

Relationships

 * James and Sarah Arlert - When they were alive Armin had a very close relationship with both of his parents. Their deaths made a significant impression on him, inspiring a sense of fear for the world in general that has never wholly died.
 * Armin Arlert sr. - Armin's relationship with his grandfather is close, but rarely physical or open. They are both quiet people and don't talk much. Their relationship is deep and close despite this, and Armin has a great deal of respect for the man he was named after.
 * Eren Jäger - As Armin's best friend, Eren is one of the most key aspects of his life. He finds himself very often leaning on Eren for confidence and encouragement, which he is only too willing to provide. They both share many views and interests, particularly when it comes to history and the world outside. They are also both quite liberal in their political views, though Armin sometimes worries about Eren doing something reckless in the future that will get him into trouble. At the same time, Armin has a bit of an inferiority complex, often comparing Eren's enthusiasm and apparent courage and strength his own lack of such things.

Adaptation
As regards his personality, very little about Armin was changed when bringing him into The Last Reich. His parents were both changed a good deal to better match the setting, being essentially written from the ground up. The choice to make Armin English was mostly in the name of making his character a little more interesting and complex. It was also thought that it might help to give an interesting aspect to Eren's interactions with him and how their relationship would later develop. In general it was simply a matter of adding new details to Armin's character, such as his views on the Prussian Government and religion.