springrolls | information

CHARACTER INFO.
✖ Character Name: Springer, Connie
✖ Canon: Attack on Titan; chapter 34
✖ Character Appearance: shorty got game
✖ Character Age: 15
✖ Character ID: M01C12-808

✖ Canon Setting:
Attack on Titan is set in what's theorized to be Germanic Europe, during a time reminiscent of the 1600s. There isn't much technology, and the greatest advancements have been made in the area of arms and weaponry, including items like guns, cannons, and the highly prized 3-dimensional maneuver gear. Much of the current political and societal hierarchy is a direct result of an event that happened 100 years ago: the emergence of a new lifeform known as the titan. Ranging between 4-15 meters (with rare individuals reaching heights far past 15 meters) and looking for the most part like bloated oversized humans, the titans are unique in the sense that a) they are nigh invincible and b) have made consuming humans their one and only joy in life. In a short matter of time, they managed to wipe out most of the human race, and also greatly diminished racial diversity.

Humanity tried to fight back, failed miserably, and as a result was forced to retreat behind the protection of three tall walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina, respectively. Society realigned itself so that the military quickly became the most powerful branch of government, an understandable move given the constant threat of the titans. Those who could fight back against this threat were naturally those with the most power and leverage. The military expanded quickly enough, dividing itself into three branches currently in existence: the Garrison (in charge of maintaining the integrity of the walls), the Survey Corps (who go on expeditions outside the walls to try and reconquer lost land as well as learn more about titans), and the Military Police (in charge of directly serving the King and royal family).

Given the relative power and prominence of the military, it's become common opinion that enlisting into the military as soon as one is able to is a great honor; after all, who wouldn't want to put their life down on the line in order to protect humankind? Except there's a caveat to that. While joining the military is indeed seen as glorious and honorable, no one actually wants to die and so the goal of nearly every recruit who joins is to make it into the Military Police and live a cushy, safe life within the innermost walls. Those who join the Survey Corps are looked upon as semi-crazy people, and general opinion of the Survey Corps is that the whole branch is a waste of human and monetary resources (never mind that the Military Police is by far the most corrupt branch of the military and are likely the real wastes of money and space).

In general, most things outside the wall are frowned upon; books speaking about life outside the walls have been banned by the government, and the lack of outside knowledge as well as the reduction of contact with titans (thanks to the construction of the walls) has left the current culture fairly stagnant. For the most part, people are content to be ignorant and herded and caged like sheep. They're safe, after all, and that's all that matters.

And then the Colossal Titan breaks down Wall Maria and things really go to shit.

Poverty really breaks out; with the sudden loss of ~1/3 of their total land, it becomes increasingly more difficult to feed the entire human population, to the point where half of the remaining population is sent out on an expedition to “regain land and fight back” but in actuality are being sent off to die so that the government won't need to feed as many mouths. Wealth and social status quickly become directly related to how close one lives to the inner walls: those who live inside enjoy safety, a sturdy roof over their head, and enough food to last them each day. It becomes even more important to enlist in the military and graduate with a high rank, as only those in the top ten get to apply directly for the Military Police and get to live safely inside Wall Sina.

Turns out, though, that things aren't as simple as keeping titans out and humans in. It's recently been revealed that, in addition to some humans being capable of transforming into titans at will, that other groups of titans were originally humans to start with. Add in the fact that the walls built to keep titans out were actually built with titans enclosed inside, the current royal family might not actually be the real royal family, and you've got some idea of just how much everyone knows in this series.

Which is not a whole hell of a lot.
✖ Character History:
history @ aot wikia

Like most of the other characters in this series, there’s not a whole lot of detailed background given for Connie’s early years, but it can be assumed from his upbeat and silly personality that Connie had a relatively normal and happy childhood devoid of any major trauma.
✖ Character Personality:
Not very bright.

That's the easiest way to describe Connie Springer, native of Ragako village in the southern part of Wall Rose and the eighth-highest ranked graduate of the 104th military trainees division. (No one's really sure how he managed to pull that one off, least of all Connie.) His induction into the military begins with him doing the standard military salute of placing the right fist over the left side of the body—backwards. His general dimwittedness is quickly picked up on by the rest of the recruits, and it doesn't help matters that he spends as much of his time as possible goofing off (the number of times he's fooled around during hand-to-hand combat training is uncountable by this point). The words of his peers are taken a bit too literally sometimes (evidenced when Jean states his lack of desire to be in the same squad as a certain suicidal asshole and Connie spends five minutes being confused because Jean there is no one in their class named Suicidal Asshole) and Connie frequently doesn't understand what's obvious to others. While Armin and Mikasa are theorizing on the rogue titan that's appeared out of nowhere during the invasion of Trost, all Connie can do is stand and stare and admit he has no idea what's going on with the rogue titan. And later, when Commander Pixis later reveals his plan to seal up the hole in Wall Rose, Connie frantically turns to Ymir and asks her what's going on because none of the words are making sense and that's because he's stupid, right?

Connie tries to make up for his lack of intellect by being loud and obnoxious, hoping that maybe the quantity of his words will at least make up for the lack of quality. (It doesn't, because unfortunately thinking before acting or speaking is not a skill Connie's learned well yet.) He's not afraid to boast whenever he manages to accomplish something (when Eren goes to him asking for advice on how to balance in the 3DMG, Connie just scoffs and claims that it's just something one has to feel and he's a natural genius at it) and he's usually the first to let others know when something's happened. He's excitable most of the time, and is near always at one end of the spectrum or the other instead of sitting calm and collectedly near the middle. He burns hot and flares up quick, but he also settles back down just as quick, and he's not one to hold a grudge. And while Connie's got his moments of bravery, he is for the most part a self-proclaimed coward.

He has enough self-awareness to realize that he's not as smart or talented as everyone in his group of friends. Sometimes it frustrates him, especially when other people have to repeatedly save his ass, but for the most part he's gotten used to never being taken seriously, to the point that when Reiner offers to help Connie get to his home village when the gang is nearby, Connie is genuinely confused by the offer. Why would Reiner, the guy that everyone likes and admires, want to help a nobody like him? After all, no one in his hometown, his family included, had really believed that he could become a soldier. Like Jean, Connie's original motive behind joining the army hadn't been because he truly wanted to fight titans and protect mankind but because he had wanted to make a point to everyone in his village that he could, in fact, make someone out of himself and become a soldier. Yet somehow, he does. Despite being impetuous, despite being mentally rather slow, Connie does eventually fulfill his dream of becoming soldier, largely because he puts his all into everything he does and endeavors always to do the right thing, even if it isn't the easiest. Even though titans scare him shitless, he still endeavors to join the Survey Corps instead of the Military Police after Trost because that seems like the right thing to do. When he finds out that Reiner and Bertholt are the Armored and Colossal Titans, his first reaction is not to immediately renounce his friendship with them and call them traitors. Instead, he demands to hear explanations directly from them first before he makes any sort of judgment. Why? Because they're his friends. Because they've eaten together, trained together, save each others' butts, and they at least deserve that much.

Friends are immensely important to Connie, and he really does care for all of his fellow recruits. When he finds Armin all alone during the battle of Trost, Connie's first words are “Armin, are you okay?” Shit's going down, he has no idea what's going on, but his first priority is making sure his friend is okay. And when Ymir turns up shortly afterwards and calls Armin completely useless, Connie flares up in Armin's defense, calling Ymir a bitch and threatening to shut her mouth for her. Never mind that Ymir's far more talented than he is (not to mention inches and inches taller) – she's insulted one of his friends and that is so many levels of Not Okay. This protectiveness is echoed again later. The Armored Titan and the Colossal Titan have suddenly appeared out of nowhere, a number of the elite Survey Corps squad are wounded, but Connie's main priority is to make sure he tells someone to protect Reiner and Bertholt, because neither of them have their gear and they might get hurt. It's an undeniable fact that the people around him can and will get hurt, but Connie's determined to at least try and keep his friends safe so that they might indeed fulfill their promise of drinking and growing old together.
✖ Character Powers:
The ability to be obnoxious as fuck, which is multiplied tenfold when he's paired with one (1) Sasha Braus. Otherwise Connie possesses no superhuman abilities, though he was apparently talented enough to graduate eighth-highest in his group of 200 military recruits. He is highly adept in using 3D maneuver gear and is also proficient in hand-to-hand combat/close quarters combat, horseback riding, bungee jumping, and basic gymnastics.

His official stats are as follows:
BATTLE SKILL: 6/10
INITIATIVE: 7/10
STRATEGY: 3/10
TEAMWORK: 7/10
SPEED: 10/10

✖ Character Inventory:
1. military uniform with the Survey Corps logo
2. 3D maneuver gear + assorted parts
3. green swishy cape