Alternate Paths

Summary: A collection of oneshots based on my various story ideas and alternate possibilities created for the lore and canon of Attack on Titan, and the results of those changes, both small and large. Such oneshots may be expanded into full stories and shall include Frieda being free of the vow, avoiding various canon deaths, a simpler AU of Canon, Eren with timelooping powers, and even an unfallen Eldian Empire.

A Simpler Story AKA What if the Titans really appeared only a hundred years ago?

In the year 743 BE, the 1728th year of the Eldian Empire, a new and monstrous foe had arisen to bear its fangs not only against the Empire of Eldia, but the entire world of humanity…The Titans; Giant, humanoid, sexless, gluttonous, un-aging, nearly immortal beings that existed solely and only to devour humans. Not as a food source, but simply as an act of destruction.

To this date, none have ascertained the true origins of the Titans. A secret Eldian experiment gone wrong? A biological weapon forged by the enemies of the empire that they failed to control? Simply monsters beyond human knowledge? An Act of God? In the end, the origin of the Titans does not truly matter. Only their intent does, to wipe out all of mankind. And their weaknesses, of course.

Eldia was not built in a day, however, and it did not fall in a day. As invincible as the Titans appeared at first, mankind proved resourceful and cunning. For the Titans are mindless and often slow to react. If not for their regeneration, they would have been slaughtered like cattle. Traps, inventions and schemes were made to pick them apart, to hold back their advance. As one-sided as it felt, it gave humanity time. More importantly, it gave us information on how to best combat the titans. The weakness of the nape was quickly discovered, but also was the terrible unpredictability of abnormal titans. Still, such information laid the groundwork for the research that would lead to the first prototypes of Omni-Directional Gear.

Despite this, ground was lost rapidly; defenses were temporary at best and futile at worst. It took only two years for the titans to overwhelm the continent of Kraju.

It was in the year 746 BE(1731 EC) that Karl Fritz, the Sixth-Second Ruler of the Eldian Empire, feared for the loss of humanity as a whole. As the Titans spread over the world, their numbers saw little sign of thinning. In an attempt to secure their future as a species, he commissioned a massive project unlike any other: The completion of the Walls of Paradis.

Over the centuries, many an Eldian monarch had contributed to The Walls of Paradis, massive fortress walls that could repel any army that landed on the island. It was over a thousand years old by the time of the Titans' emergence, but had remained unfinished. Eldia had little need for an island fortress and the Walls had long been considered a vanity project for centuries now, a wonder of the world.

Under the pressure of the Titans, Eldia finished the Walls in less than a decade. All efforts were poured into this singular project, this great hope. Karl's enemies and rivals laughed at him…sneered at him. Karl the Coward King they called him. The Ruler of Eldia only felt pity when he heard of their defeats and deaths at the jaws of mankind's enemy.

Originally, the plan had been for three rings that each reached sixty meters high, more than triple the highest known Titan. Instead, the king ordered the construction be stopped at thirty meters. While there was some concern with only ten meters between the top and the reach of the tallest known titans, the risk was deemed worth it. In doing so, a forth, brand new wall had been created, increasing the final radius of four-hundred eighty kilometers to nearly a thousand, reaching close from one shore of Paradis to the opposite end.

By this time, Titans had managed to find their way onto every continent, even those of the "New World" across the Ocean of Salacia. With dwindling hope and fewer options, mankind began a rapid and desperate retreat to the great walls of Eldia, the final stronghold for all humans. People from all corners of the globe were in a mad exodus to Paradis with everyone from beggars to kings pleading for sanctuary, to be taken in by the empire.

Karl the Coward was rechristened Karl the Kind for letting them in before Titans came. No one was barred, regardless of what land they had come from, no matter what grudges were in their pasts.

"Mr. Smith?"

The greying teacher looked up from his textbook and gave a small smile to the blond boy raising his hand amidst the class full of ten year olds. "Yes, Armin?"

"How was the material for the walls brought from the mainland to Paradis Island?" he inquired curiously.

"A fine question. There are tales that the Eldian Empire had constructed one or more massive bridges from the mainland to the island. This is an urban myth made mostly in the wake of the Titans reaching Paradis Island, a story told and spread to explain their arrival, as most don't know that Titans can float. The truth is something far simpler; A relatively new invention at the time was the Dampfer, or the Steamboat," Smith explained patiently.

"Steamboat?" Armin repeated, every child looking mildly curious, as many were expectantly bored until this point.

"A boat with a contraption that propels paddlewheels through, as the name implies, the use of steam. It allowed the Empire to transport heavy loads quickly and safely across the Strait of Aegir. I've never seen them myself, but they say you can still see the remains of the abandoned boats from the wall at the Neo-Liberio District," he finished the off-topic subject as Armin nodded. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Before the arrival of the Titans, the world was believed to be approaching a human population of a billion. Within the Walls of Paradis, less than ten millions were estimated to have arrived. Over a third would die from disease and plague in..."

"Well, that became rather depressing," the boy next to Armin mumbled, head buried in his folded arms.

"It's a shame they didn't have doctors like your father back then," Armin remarked observantly.

"Dad says that wouldn't have helped much," Eren corrected. "Something about everyone grouping up like that exposed some groups to new illnesses they never encountered before."

"Mr. Yaeger. Am I boring you?" Mr. Smith asked scoldingly. "Would you care to share your insight on the Nine Years of Shame?"

"Umm, I can if you really want me to, Sir?" Eren offered, somehow both nervous and smug. "The Nine Years started in Karlton District of Wall Ymir, starting as symptoms of a cold that rapidly developed into what we now know was clearly a strain of bronchitis. People fled from the area, unknowingly spreading it and other illnesses to the other districts. The Green Plague, The Shivering Death, The Horse Flu. Travel in and out of Wall Rose was shut down in effort to contain the pandemics and everything between Wall Maria and Rose was more monitored than most addictive drugs are now. Wall Ymir was largely considered lost to disease and death during this time, with only doctors and soldiers daring to step foot in it. They actually started throwing bodies off Wall Ymir, in an attempt to infect the Titans- obviously, that didn't work," Eren explained calmly, ignoring that many students were growing increasingly uncomfortable yet morbidly interested. "Most of the victims of the sicknesses were children and elderly, except for in Quinta District-"

"That's enough, Mr. Yaeger, thank you," Mr. Smith said, clearly pleased but exasperated. There was no need for the children to grow too mortified with the less watered down version of history. They could save that for their later schooling years. Recent history was already depressing enough as it was. With that, he looked to his clock with a hum. "That will be all for today, children. Eren, could you remain behind for a moment?"

Eren mentally groaned as he packed up his school supplies and put them in a sack to carry over his back. In resignation, he approached the teacher's desk. "Sir, for the record, I didn't mention the suicide rate or any of the other really nasty stuff that happened," he defended half-heartedly.

"And I thank you for that, Eren. Cleaning up the vomit would be a messy ordeal," Darvin Smith remarked in amusement. "You're not in trouble, young man. No, I have a favor to ask of you. You're a friend of Mikasa Ackerman, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Eren asked curiously.

"Well, she's been absent for the week, and I was hoping you could deliver the homework to her," he requested, holding out a small stack of papers.

"Why don't you mai- wait, right, they don't get mail out there," Eren recalled blandly, taking the papers. "Can I get this request in writing so my mom believes me when I'm late home?"

"Already taken care of," Smith assured knowingly, holding up another piece of paper. With a farewell, the young boy took off. The man of fifty-one years smiled as he looked out the window, seeing the children racing off to their homes, Wall Maria looming over them protectively. "I wonder how you're doing out there, Erwin?"

Meanwhile, Armin was waiting for his friend. "Why do you remember the most depressing parts?" Armin asked blankly.

"Oh, it wasn't about that," Eren said with in exasperation. "He just wanted me to drop some work off for Mikasa."

"She has been gone for the week. Is she sick?" Armin asked in concern.

"What? No, did nobody tell you?" Eren asked, giving his friend a strange look.

"Tell me what? And why was I left out of the loop?" Armin asked with a small frown.

Eren shrugged. "Mikasa's got a sister coming."

"...Her Mom's Pregnant?!" Armin realized in surprise.

"Jeeze, yes!" Eren said, sticking a finger in his ear from the volume. "Why did you think Mikasa was acting weird?"

"I don't know! Grandpa told me girls have a "time of the month" when they get older, I just thought that was it," Armin said lamely.

"...You know, part of me enjoys being the son of a doctor, just to so I get to call you, mister genius, a dumbass on this occasion," Eren said with a grin.

"That's just mean," Armin said with a sigh.

"Well, just never ask a girl if she's on her period...unless you think she might be pregnant, I guess," Eren advised idly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Armin asked innocently.

"Apparently, not having a time of the month is a sign that a girl is about to be a mom," Eren answered, not sure as to the why of that himself.

"So, I'm guessing that's why your father hasn't taken any cases too far from here?" Armin guessed, changing the subject slightly.

"Yeah. Mom's seriously thinking about moving out there with them, just in case Dad isn't close by when, you know, it's time," Eren said in embarrassment.

"Right..." Armin said, looking evasive. Neither one of them knew what to think about the idea of childbirth. "So...how was the last trip you took with him?"

"Pretty good. Neo-Liberio has weird food. Made a new friend though. Someone named Reiner...something, sounded like Brown or Brawn?"

"Wow, you are just wonderful with names," Armin teased with a grin.

"Try to say Mikasa's mom's maiden name," Eren challenged seriously.

"What? Azumebato?" Armin tried.

"Wrong," Eren answered smugly.

"Azumebitu?" Armin guessed again.

"You're even further now," Eren said cheekily.

"Can you say it?" Armin countered.

"Azumabito," Eren answered, snorting at Armin's eye twitch. "Oh, don't get like that. I still can't, for the life of me, get the names in southern Ymir right. Not even the district."

"How long did it take you to stop calling me Armin Alert?" Armin reminded.

"Not as long as you think it did," Eren shot back with a chuckle.

"All that wit, and you're writing is still atrocious," Armin said blankly.

"I think that has something to do with me being a doctor's kid. Mom says if you can understand their hand writing, they're not a doctor," Eren stated curiously.

"...How are those two related?" Armin asked with a scowl.

"I have no idea," Eren admitted as they came to a fork in the road, one leading back to Shinganshina, the other elsewhere. "Well, I got a detour to make. You want to come?"

"I would, but I don't want to ruin Mikasa's "Eren Time" with you," Armin answered cheekily.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eren asked with a furrowed brow.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Armin said in a voice that said it was actually everything and Eren was an idiot.

Eren watched his blonde friend go before heading off down the trail.

End of Chapter

Okay, there's the first oneshot. The idea, as the title says, is that Titans only happened a hundred years ago, and Paradis really is the last of humanity- as far as any are aware. In this story, the Eldian Empire still exists, no great lose of memory/history, and there is a much wider fourth wall. Erwin's father is still alive, teaching Eren's class, and Eren is...a mildly creepy kid at times, but normal overall.

While Isayama made a wonderful story in most regards with the twist revealed inthe basement, I do enjoy the idea of taking the original premise and making it where the situation is more genuine. Where finding the mystery of the tians and stopping them is the end goal. Anyway, I hoped you liked a peak into this setting.