Hangout The SNK "What If" Thread

[kannazuki]

This is a thread for discussing hypothetical situations and how each character would handle them! Provide your take on the starter questions below, and/or create new scenarios to query everyone about if you like.

Starter scenarios stolen from courtesy of BobobVanBlob:

How do you think Marco would have reacted if he discovered that the King and the Fabulous Unicorns were rotten to the core ? Would he still be respectful of authority and the crown or would he stand for higher standards ? What about the members of the MP we already saw ? Maybe it was the reason Annie picked the MP, to get closer to the King and launch discussion between the Warriors and the nobility ? Damn you Isayama !

Spoiler: Here's what I think...

1. How would Marco react
First I need to do a comparison of Marco vs. Marlo. (I have to check again but) I get the impression Marlo probably joined the MP while knowing already that it was fairly corrupt. He joined *specifically* to try to clean it up, and the determination he has is good BUT he is (probably) wrong if he thinks he can do it by himself. In order to do that, he needs to win over as many peers and superiors as he can among all those people around him who act indifferent, or who seem not to care one way or another, including Hitch. Meanwhile, Marco obviously didn't have the slightest clue how rotten the MP were. He thought it would be an honour to join. I think that as good a guy as he is, however, he wouldn't have the wherewithal to try to change the system.

2. Would he still be respectful of the king's authority
If he couldn't respect himself for being there once he saw the truth of how they are, I think Marco would try for a transfer, but otherwise wouldn't rock the boat. If he got his transfer he would just change the topic if his time in the MP was ever brought up by anyone, not wanting to lie but not wanting to tell the damning truth about them either. So Marco isn't an agent for change like Marlo could be, as I see it (otherwise he likely wouldn't have been allowed to die without changing something!!!). He and Marlo are different in that way. Unless we get some clues to show us whether the king is really pulling the strings or if it's his strings being pulled, I can't say whether Marco would figure it out either. I haven't ruled out a puppet leadership and so I don't think anyone in the story world should either. In fact the malaise the king is showed with in the latest chapter seems to imply he'd rather let his ministers (or whatever they are) handle the responsibilities of governing. That's not great of a king to do in and of itself (even if he has a really awesome staff), but it's not the same thing as being corrupt either, so it's a bit of a toss-up to me what Marco might think.

3. What about other members of the MP
I already talked about Marlo above. Hitch and Nile Dawk were probably about the same starting from *after* Nile decided he wanted to be with Mary. They knew it was a cushy job in the first place (and joined for that reason, like Jean was going to). I think Hitch is changeable but she needs to be convinced it's worth it to change things first. Easier said than done but I believe in her. Nile is already showing signs of being someone Erwin could convince. We've learned he was (almost) as idealistic as Erwin once, until he began to have a family he wanted to protect (and that he wouldn't want to lose by dying).

4. What about Annie
Hmm. I've wondered this before but I have no idea. She was doing a lot of spying on the wall cult at the time, but that can't be the only reason she was there. I wonder if she was able to catch other bits of information as well?

 

[BobobVanBlob]

Hmm, I'm trying to reflect on it. I was the one asking the question, so I'll try to find an answer by myself, disclaimer : this answer has a 99% chance of being dumb.

1. Marco : as Jean said, he is mister "Honor student", the kind of guy only thinking about "Honor" and this kind of stuff... So here is how he may react, if he landed in Marlo's unit, he may had joined Marlo in his pursuit of a clean organization, a bit acting like Maes Hughes to Roy Mustang, trying to get more of their peers with them to make some sort of a proper real Military Police squad and not just jerks with a unicorn on their jacket. If Marco had the chance to survive and join the MP maybe Jean would also had joined them, so I would have had my GODDAMN Marlo/Hitch/Jean encounter for duck's sake ! AAAAAAARH ! (unless you go with that fanart where Jean dies and Marco finds his body and well, that's another story)

2. Marco and the orders : For me Marco is the kind of guy who wouldn't stand against the orders UNLESS he has this feeling that something is wrong with them, and well, if he had weird orders from the government asking him to turn against his former comrades I think he would stand against them. Plus the potential interactions between Marlo and him would clearly had made them turn the MP in something better, slowly, but surely.

3. The others in the MP and the orders (actual timeline, not the "Marco still-half-alive" fanfiction, reference to halflife and portal, damn I'm on a roll) : so we have Hitch going with the flow, she could be won over, if they managed to show her their advantages (Shotactitian, talking Horses, anger management programs, discounts on cleaning products...) plus the fact that the Rebels will get advantages from the "Reeves company" (black tea and stuff), knowing that she is interested about advantages in nature and not the status. Greed may be a good argument.

For Boris, I don't know he seems to be the kind of guy not caring about anything, so maybe he would follow Marlo (his squad leader) because he goes with the flow, and definitely, Marlo would stand against the crown and orders if it's against his ideals and of course someone offer this change he seems to be looking for. (Erwin and his revolucion, si, muy bonita señorita hey !)

EDIT : By the way, Anon claims they are being detained right now because they were all close to Annie in her squad, so they may be approached to serve as informants in the MP. (I'll try to get the supposed pages from the character book).

For Nile Dawk, he may join commander Handsome depending on the situation his family will be in, if Erwin offers shelter to his family in Trost, he may be a great help, I mean, he is the freaking leader of the MP so he is supposed to be used to Man Vs Man tactics. By the way, what about Darius Zackley, I think he would still obey but reluctantly and turn against the govt when given the chance. (he seems to acknowledge Erwin as an asset for Humanity)

4. Annie: well basically, I think she joined the MP to approach the people pulling the strings, but to gain what ? That's a question I cannot answer.

---------- Post added February 14, 2014 at 07:23 PM ---------- Previous post was February 10, 2014 at 06:57 PM ----------

Okay, I was lurking and some guy posted that, while claiming the MP brats are in jail, (I saw it somewhere on the wiki before but some other people say it's wrong), does anyone has a single idea of their status, they keep on claiming "It's in the character book, read it !" but never deliver the bloody translation.

Spoiler

 

[nesean]

Okay, I was lurking and some guy posted that, while claiming the MP brats are in jail, (I saw it somewhere on the wiki before but some other people say it's wrong), does anyone has a single idea of their status, they keep on claiming "It's in the character book, read it !" but never deliver the bloody translation.

Spoiler

I don't seem to see any indication of "jail", "confinement" in those scans.. Most of the info there are referenced to chapters and pages of the manga, so whatever's happened in the manga should be there.

 

[BobobVanBlob]

I don't seem to see any indication of "jail", "confinement" in those scans.. Most of the info there are referenced to chapters and pages of the manga, so whatever's happened in the manga should be there.

Well, I don't know if it's cool or not (if they were detained it could have been sort of a confirmation that they may return) and I would have loved to see them back. At least it's nice for them, they don't end up in jail because of Annie. Thanks again nesean.

 

[Demonspeed]

What would happen if Hange was the coordinate?

 

[kannazuki]

The most unbelievable group dance numbers you have ever seen!!!!

Seriously though, I guess the obvious answer is that the titans would be used for research? I think Hange wants to avoid anything that would resemble torturing humans now (despite the fact of Hange's current storyline contributions to the torture of real live humans... *ahem*), but aside from the fact that (like lab animals) they can't give consent to be experimented on, there are still less painful avenues of exploration they might try going down, and with a coordinate there's a lot more opportunity open to try new things...

 

[BobobVanBlob]

What would happen if Hange was the coordinate?

She would already know everything, plus the titans would be able to walk on their hands, they also would have plugged Wall Maria and a double wall making a safe path to the sea.

Hange with the coordinates/power of the voice (in CR's translation, Eren is Dovahkin) would be way better than Eren and especially fun. How about we go with one what if per month ?

This way we can discuss stuff when we wait for the next chapter, could be fun to imagine stupid events when nothing happens (yet), maybe ? No ? Yes ?

 

[kannazuki]

Okay, well I didn't get to suggest one of my own yet so I'll go next. (I hope someone new can come up with one for next month!)

What if Eren can use his power to convince Annie to dissolve the crystal?

 

[ToriLynn]

WHAT IF Armin is Erwin's long lost son

 

[kannazuki]

I like it, but there is no way Erwin has had any kids. I think he's been too obsessed with bringing out the truth about titans and exposing mind control by leaders within the walls (all his life) to consider dating anyone.

 

[BobobVanBlob]

What if after the bonus pages in Shinganshina, Bert, Reiner and Ymir looked for the Yeager's house and already pillaged the basement?

 

[nyamonyamo]

Been wondering, since titan only rely on sight to see human, and since they don't chase anything else other than humans, why don't the people wear a disguise like a trojan horse or chinese dragon dance costume thingy? I think they would be ignored by those titans ._.

 

[TheOwl]

Been wondering, since titan only rely on sight to see human, and since they don't chase anything else other than humans, why don't the people wear a disguise like a trojan horse or chinese dragon dance costume thingy? I think they would be ignored by those titans ._.

(I think that this is not the correct thread to pose such a question, but I'm going to give an answer anyway)
Because they limit mobility, visibility, and because Aberrant Titans, who are more unpredictable than other Titans, might attack it. In that case the Survey Corps would not be able to retaliate and the expedition would fail. Not to mention what a Titan Shifter could do to it.

 

[kannazuki]

What if after the bonus pages in Shinganshina, Bert, Reiner and Ymir looked for the Yeager's house and already pillaged the basement?

Can someone explain why I imagine them all sitting down and having a beer together (charitably left behind by Grisha) under this scenario? The vibe is like a post-moving party where almost everything is still in boxes but you and your friends are too tired to do anything else now and just want to hang/relax. Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to get pizza though...

(I think that this is not the correct thread to pose such a question, but I'm going to give an answer anyway)
Because they limit mobility, visibility, and because Aberrant Titans, who are more unpredictable than other Titans, might attack it. In that case the Survey Corps would not be able to retaliate and the expedition would fail. Not to mention what a Titan Shifter could do to it.

(You're right but it can be treated as a what-if, so for now I'll roll with it.) I wonder if they've tested stuff like this before. If Armin's parents people who invented flying machines/gliders weren't allowed to test them out, then probably not though. They might have found the titans would ignore them (like birds) even when flying nearby, if they were able to conceal their physical form within the flying structure. Another option would be to have humans out there in 3dmg/on horseback (as bait, but also to fight) leading the titans back to abandoned villages so that they could test out various costumes. If the titans treated the dragons like human kebabs, then that would be a mission failure. Would have been a much more intelligent way to handle the "Reclamation Mission" if the insiders really cared about reclaiming land.

 

[ArtIristic]

Can someone explain why I imagine them all sitting down and having a beer together (charitably left behind by Grisha) under this scenario? The vibe is like a post-moving party where almost everything is still in boxes but you and your friends are too tired to do anything else now and just want to hang/relax. Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to get pizza though...

Y'know, having the basement being a wine cellar would be the greatest troll ever made.

"To Eren, from Grisha"
"Son you said you always wanted to join the Military, but I decided to spare you the years of harsh training and just letting you go straight to the booze, and I even have a bar just for extra comfort.
"Just keep your hands off my secret documents. They're not important, the booze is!"

 

[TheOwl]

Can someone explain why I imagine them all sitting down and having a beer together (charitably left behind by Grisha) under this scenario? The vibe is like a post-moving party where almost everything is still in boxes but you and your friends are too tired to do anything else now and just want to hang/relax. Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to get pizza though...

But on a more serious note, RBY can't pillage Eren's house because all they know about it is that it is located in Shiganshina, but they don't know exactly where in Shiganshina. If they tried to destroy everything that remains of the city just to make sure they destroyed the basement, they would draw the attention of a horde of Titans, which would ironically prevent them from destroying it.

 

[BobobVanBlob]

But on a more serious note, RBY can't pillage Eren's house because all they know about it is that it is located in Shiganshina, but they don't know exactly where in Shiganshina. If they tried to destroy everything that remains of the city just to make sure they destroyed the basement, they would draw the attention of a horde of Titans, which would ironically prevent them from destroying it.

Eren gave a good indication about his home to Bert when he said that huge boulder from the walls landed on his house and was the reason for his mom's death, they have some infos about his home and they may be able to find it. They could even look for a house with a mailbox written Yeager, it wouldn't surprise me, Isayama's editor said we will get some revelations between volume 14/16 and that the basement should come somewhere around there, if the story switched to the two warriors and Historia's waifu right after the incoming revelations it would make sense and be refreshing.

 

[TheOwl]

Eren gave a good indication about his home to Bert when he said that huge boulder from the walls landed on his house and was the reason for his mom's death, they have some infos about his home and they may be able to find it. They could even look for a house with a mailbox written Yeager, it wouldn't surprise me, Isayama's editor said we will get some revelations between volume 14/16 and that the basement should come somewhere around there, if the story switched to the two warriors and Historia's waifu right after the incoming revelations it would make sense and be refreshing.

Boulders landed on plenty of houses during the attack of the Colossal Titan. It still narrows down the options though. They would still draw the attention of Titans if they tried to search for Eren's house, and there's no indication that houses in Shiganshina had mailboxes. If RBY finds Eren's house because of such a mundane thing that has never appeared before it would be a Deus (or Diabolus) Ex Machina (a.k.a an ass-pull), and I don't think that Isayama would fall to such a level.

 

[ArtIristic]

What if Monkey Trouble finds the basement first, for a yet-to-be-answered-reason (AKA: I asked for directions).
Just him sitting in the basement looking over all the papers, while twirling his fabulously evil mustache, and saying "Sou desu ka?"

Eren and co. finds the basement emptied out, realizing everything they have done was in complete vain. Everyone heads home and open up a bar in the Inner Lands, because booze is what these people need after all the things they went through.

Ok, ok. But what else kinda reason could Monkey Trouble have for visiting the Walls? Yeah, he was testing the humans, but it seemed more like he did for the lulz, since he never saw their struggle to the end. He must had been seeking something!
He just went in to tease them, terrify them, let them be killed in horrifying ways, leave them in a state of confusion, to then disappear into thin air like he never existed. What is his motive to do that, and at that time?

Hmm, could he really be? A monster with no name?... Ok, I'm just going crazy here.

 

[Super Angillis]

Turns out Monkey Trouble and Grisha went to medical school together. They used to be best buds, but then there was a backwash incident. Their freindship never recovered. Oh and the whole Titans thing.

So what if the conspiricy hadn't stifled technological development? I would guess that Hot Air Balloons alone would be damn useful.