-Chapter 18: Planning for the Future-
Hange's Lab, inside Survey Corps Headquarters
It was another late night inside the lab where we find the members of squad four after another day of experiments on the scouts' corralled subjects. As promised by the union of their pinkie fingers Maverick and his companions were hard at work drawing up concepts and designs for possible new anti-titan weaponry. While they had yet to get the approval of the commander they figured they should think of some concepts to bring to the table, as to hopefully sweeten the deal when they'll eventually present their case to the bushy browed blonde.
Right now the three were looking over one of the possible weapons conceived by Maverick, which seemed to be a heavily modified flare gun, if the drawing was anything to go by.
"Hand Cannon…So this is the one you said was in your head for a while?" Moblit asked while eying the drawing, taking note of the added stock and longer barrel.
"That it is Moblit. Besides the flare guns we don't have any real offensive ranged weaponry. But if we can implement these modifications we should be able to not only get some serious firepower on our side, but provide a safer way to kill giants." The eyes of his two companions widened at this, for entirely different reasons mind you.
"A miniaturized, hand-held, cannon…wow…" Hange remarked, her eyes sparkling that ever dangerous shine that Moblit dreaded to see every single day.
"So what's the payload supposed to be?" To answer his question Maverick presented forward one of the canisters used for their flare guns.
"Well, think of this flare canister here, but instead of the usual multi-colored signal, it explodes on impact...hopefully." He muttered the last part, but it was still audible enough for Moblit to hear and begin to worry.
"H-Hopefully?!" Hange meanwhile was having an entirely different reaction as she began to fantasize a variety of explosive scenarios and awe-inspiring images in her head.
"Ohhhhhohohohoho. I can see it now, a hundred grenades flying across the sky. *Giggle*" The two men glanced at their squad leader as she nearly began to swoon in place.
"*Sigh* A-Anyways, are you sure these will be safe?" Moblit emphasized his most favorite word, to which Maverick began to scratch his beard, trying his best to ease his comrade.
"Of course. Sure it took a lot of trial and error, and a few classrooms, but I wouldn't put this on the table if it wasn't safe." He placed the canister back on the table as he continued.
"While I can't give you success report, I can assure you that a weapon like this went through many years of testing. What I'm showing you was the final and finished product." Moblit's worried look had begun to calm as he rationalized it all in his head. He trusted his large statured friend, but there were times he wished he wouldn't entertain the squad leaders' pursuits, or in this case, expand them.
"And we have plenty of flare casings. With a few teams armed with these on expeditions…" Hange began to say, only for Maverick to nod his head confirming her thoughts.
"That's the idea. We have the ideal molds to work with, so we could probably get these modified in no time…but to be honest, I'm still a bit unsure about the casings, think we might have to redesign them." His large fingers tapped the table as his eyes narrowed at the sketch of the canisters, then at the main weapon itself.
"But then that comes with its own set of problems…" His squad mates gave him questioning looks.
"How so?" Moblit asked.
"Since these are meant for flares, it might react differently to the more…volatile components. Then there's always a matter of a misfire, or gods forbid the weapon jams, or the grenade explodes too early." And just like that Moblits' worried look returned in full force.
"M-Maybe we should hold off on the explosive firearms. At least until we get the okay from the commander." With a chuckle Maverick agreed and rolled up his paper before placing it to the side of the table, earning him a thankful look from the worry wart scout.
"Right. So, let's look at what you two drew up." With an excited look Hange went towards another table to show off what she drew up alongside Moblit. Maverick couldn't help but compare his squad leaders' giddy behavior to a child showing what they brought in for show and tell.
"Well the main focus with ours was to capture titans, sooooo…." She proceeded to slam down her rolled paper and spread it out, barely leaving Moblit with any room for his design. "Ta Dah!"
He looked down at the two designs presented before them. Hanges' looked to be a similar launcher type weapon. However the main body of it seemed to be a barrel with a long piece of tubing attached to the back. Underneath it was the standard issue controller grip with some tubing connecting the two together. Following this he saw a sketch of a net shooting outwards, its purpose clearly being shown.
Moblits' seemed to follow a similar trend, this time however it was a set of three barrels stacked atop one another held inside some kind of stationary device. There were two sketches of this weapon, one of a front view and the other a side view. The front view showed the barrels to have three holes in a triangle like formation, with the side view showing spears shooting out of the barrel.
Overall these were quite the interesting pieces. Right up there with his jury-rigged weaponry and whatever two by four technology he had used in his days as an operative.
"Interesting….Very interesting…." Moblit began to scratch his head with a flustered look on his face, while Hange showed a beaming smile as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Yep, these will be the future tools we'll need to restrain and capture our giant friends." Maverick's eyebrows raised slightly, before his eyes slightly narrowed as he decided to mess with his two squad mates.
"Oh, I see…already trying to replace me with fancy machines and whatnot" He crossed his arms as well as adding an upset tone in his voice, attempting to seem hurt. However, the two saw through him and laughed off his remark.
"You suggested this! Besides, we could never replace you." The two chuckled at their banter, leaving Moblit to keep them back on track.
"When outside the Wall there's no telling how far we'll be from either you or the rest of the regiment. So whenever one catches the squad leaders' eye, and for some reason you're not there, well…" He didn't finish what he was going to say, instead simply letting his design speak for itself. Only for Hange to state the obvious.
"We'll be able to restrain them with these! Well, that's the idea at least." Maverick took a look at the designs once more, this time however he looked at the mechanisms that would make the weapons work. He was honestly impressed, for they clearly had spent a lot of time working on its functionality and just how it was meant to fire. There were further details on the assembly of their weaponry, which parts might be needed or best suited, as well as some additional sketches on the firing sequences.
"You two really got your bases covered with these." Hange nodded her head at her companions' compliment.
"Mhm, and all the tools we'll need can be found in abundance." She suddenly produced a small crate filled to the brim with an assortment of gears, pipes, and other such materials, no doubt gathered from their workshop and brought here before they got to the lab. Once again Maverick had to chuckle at the woman's enthusiasm.
"Hmmm, could probably scrape something together, if the commander greenlights us." He remarked while digging his finger through the crate, fishing out a piece of tubing. The two scouts agreed wholeheartedly, if they could get Erwin's approval then they truly would see the rise of innovative technology.
"Alright! Let's finalize these two for the time being, well save you hand cannon for later~" With that settled the three set to do just that. With Mavericks' input they spent the rest of the day working out any kinks in their designs, with the hopes that the commander would approve of their plans, just like how he approved of their titan kidnapping operations.
-oOo-
The following day, inside the War Room
The commander, alongside his two assistants were currently looking over a formation plan. It had been something he had planned on instating for quite a while, and now that he was the acting commander of the Survey Corps, that time was now. No disrespect to the previous commander, but had they implemented this sooner, then the casualties in the past would not have been so severe. Better late than never he supposed.
Despite its initial failed test early on Erwin was certain that it would work, and with their resident superhuman on their side, there was little doubt in his mind of the contrary.
And speaking of the marked man, his position on the formation was the current subject of much discussion between him and his assistants.
"What if we were to place him in front of the formation? Or perhaps send him out before the rest of the regiment?" Beirer suggested while pointing to the front position of the formation. Erwin vetoed that suggestion almost immediately as he shook his head.
"No, we can't have him do all the work in our stead." His firm and resolute tone caused the young man to slightly waver under the eyes of the commander, but yet he was still determined to make his case.
"With all due respect sir, we've seen what he can do. It can decrease our casualties by a large margin." Erwin sighed as his gaze turned back towards the formation plan.
"Perhaps, but that would leave the rest of the regiment left with nothing to fight, especially any new recruits. They will need the experience in dealing with titans in order to survive." Beirer tried to speak up once more but found himself unable to make a comeback, allowing Erwin to continue. "Maverick's strength and abilities are unmatched yes, but I doubt he can be everywhere at once." His other assistant Peer nodded in agreement.
"Then how about we have him on support? Let him go and alleviate any areas that are too much to handle, or any abnormals that break through the formation?" Peer suggested pointing at the middle of the formation, with the commander rubbing his chin as he slowly nodded his head.
"That's…a possibility. Have someone signal an abnormal, Maverick goes and deals with it, rinse and repeat." Peer gave the commander an agreeable look, however Beirer wasn't as easily convinced.
"And if there's one spotted on each side? Or perhaps more than one?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Only for Erwin to give a quick response.
"Then we must trust in our training and experience to win the day. With or without his assistance." The assistant still had an unsure look on his face, causing Erwin to sigh once more.
"I understand Beirer, we have a force on our side capable of turning the tides heavily in our favor." He placed a hand over his assistants' shoulder as he continued.
"But we can't overly depend on him alone for every single occurrence, nor just send him out and call it a day, it would make all the sacrifices and lives lost be in vain." Beirer looked away from the commander's gaze as he slowly began to agree with him. Erwin could understand why he was so adamant to solely use their large friend, even he thought once or twice about relying solely on the strength of the superhuman. But he had to make the point clear to him.
"We've been through hell and back many times, long before he ever arrived at our doorstep. We will do so once more." Erwin's point seemed to finally get through Beirer as he slowly began to nod his head.
"Perhaps we should discuss this more with his input as well?" Came the recommendation from Peer to which Erwin couldn't help but let out a humored huff. Of course, perhaps it would be best to get the man in question to have his say in this. No doubt he would have something to say.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
The sudden sound brought the men's' attention to the double doors. With a nod from the commander Peer made his way across the room, towards the door. Not even two seconds after it opened did the excited face of Hange appear, slightly spooking the assistant.
"Afternoon Commander! Hope were not interrupting something important." She exclaimed while pushing the door open completely, revealing both Moblit and Maverick, the former offering a salute and an apologetic smile.
'Speak of the devil.' Remarked Erwin. Just as he was thinking of sending someone over to get him. A small smile formed on his face as he turned to Hange's direction.
"Simply going over plans for the future." Hange was intrigued as she immediately made her way towards the board that was behind the commander. She immediately recognized the plan as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Oooohhh, well anyways, we were hoping if you could indulge us for a bit." She presented a rolled-up paper to which Erwin raised his eyebrows at with a hint of interest. That was all the squad leader needed as she continued on.
"You see we-well Mav figured that we could expand our operations when it comes to our titan research." Erwin turned to the superhuman, giving him a questioning gaze. Maverick simply offered a half smile in return, pretty much confirming what Hange had said.
"Is that so…I believe I allowed you permission to experiment on as many as you could catch. What more could you need exactly?" His gaze turned more inquisitive as he placed both his hands together, waiting for an answer.
"How about anti-titan weaponry?" Was all the marked man needed to say to pique the interest of the commander and his men.
"Go on…"
"Our blades and gear are certainly effective, not doubting that for a second. But I'm sure we can expand our arsenal towards more in the ranged variety." A smirk formed on his face as he emphasized the word, signaling for Hange and Moblit to present their designs.
"We designed some concepts that should allow us to restrain titans easily, or when Mav's not around." Hange explained. She and Moblit unfolded their designs holding them up for the commander to see. He and his aides looked over the two anti-titan weapons, eyeing all the small details and written notes scattered around the paper, which explained the functions and purposes of said weapons. The commander was impressed, they had clearly spent quite some time on these. But as much as he wanted to see where their little project would go he would have to let them down easy.
"Interesting, but understand Hange, a project such as this will require materials and funds, something we are lacking at the moment." Hange seemed prepared for such a reason as a smirk formed on her face.
"On the contrary, the materials needed for these two can be found all around the HQ. Barrels, springs, wires, hell half of this stuff is in our workshop! With your blessing we can get a prototype in the works and show it off when the expeditions begins! Think about it!" Think on it he did. For a short time the gathered scouts waited on the commander, who was tapping his fingers across a table, occasionally glancing at Hange, the design, then Maverick, and at the design once again. Exhaling through his nose he came to a decision.
"Well, if your confident then I suppose I can grant you permission." Hange let out a squeak of glee, but a raised finger from the commander silenced her. "However, I wish to see this one first. You still have your experiments on the titans to work on." Erwin pointed towards the now named "Net Cannon" causing Hanges' smile to widen even more.
"Oh believe me Erwin, with this in development, soon we'll see and entire field full of em!" She began to giggle as she fantasized the scenario in her head, only for Maverick's firm grip on her shoulder to snap her back to reality.
Looking back she saw Maverick, whose glowing eyes zeroed in on the squad leader. Despite half of his face being covered by his beard she had found he was far more expressive with his eyes, and the way they narrowed at her was usually a sign for her to tone things down.
"W-We'll leave you back to your plans commander, apologies once again." Moblit said trying to excuse the squad leaders' behavior, while also trying to get her out of the room as fast as possible. However, they were stopped by Erwin's voice.
"Actually, I was hoping I could have a word with Maverick. Just for a moment." The three looked at the commander before looking at one another. With a small smile Maverick assured his companions who returned the gesture. As the two left the room Maverick turned back to the commander and his assistants.
"What did you wish to discuss?" He asked with crossed arms. With a small smile Erwin motioned for the marked man to come closer.
"I was hoping I could have your input on something. Take a look." Maverick took a gander at the plan laid out atop a board in the front of the room. In truth he had taken a few glimpses at it, but now he had a full view on what the drawings on the plan were. They were obviously battle plans of some kind, but that was all he could deduce at the moment.
"What am I looking at exactly?" He asked, to which the commander was more than happy to explain.
"Something I've had in development for quite some time now. There will come a day when we will launch our expeditions outside the Walls once more, and now that I'm in command, I plan to do something about our casualty rates." Like a college professor giving a lecture, he placed both his hands behind his back and met Maverick's glowing gaze.
"Allow me to present, the Long-Range Enemy Scouting Formation." Maverick's brows raised with mild interest. He had a feeling it was something to do with the scouts. "Quite a mouthful. How's it work?"
"In short this will allow us to detect incoming titans and act accordingly. Avoidance will be a key aspect of our future expeditions…." Erwin said as he began to fully go on about the formation in earnest.
For the next few minutes or so Erwin began to explain just how the formation would function. Such as the many sections that made up the formation, their purpose and who would make up said sections, how it would operate, and of course what they would do whenever they encountered a titan. It was at this part where the sudden chuckles from the marked man caused both the commander and his aides to give him questioning looks.
"Sorry…I'm just amazed honestly…think this is the first time I've seen something like this." The humored tone in Maverick's voice left the three scouts baffled at what he meant.
"What do you mean?" Erwin asked. To which caused Maverick's smile to form into a grin as he got closer to the commander.
"Erwin…you've just made the very first human-powered radar!" The joyful tone in his voice and chuckles startled the three men, before confusion set in once more at the mention of the unknown word.
"Ra-dar?" Maverick waved off Erwin's question as he quickly explained.
"A far more advanced version of this, don't worry. Point is, the fact that you conceived something like this on your own, is very impressive. Seriously, pat yourself on the back."
Erwin was honestly caught off guard by Maverick's compliment. Others had said their praises to him regarding the plan before, and yet he felt a greater sense of accomplishment when it was he who gave it. Seeing as Maverick had much more experience with such matters it felt, for lack of better words, great to receive such acknowledgement. In the end all he could do was laugh it off.
"*Chuckle*…Well…t-thank you." His two aides were surprised to hear the slight stutter in the commander's voice, but chose not to say anything, seeing the smile on his face.
"This will definitely help in the long run. Why hasn't this been implemented until now?" The smile on Erwin's face turned slightly downward almost immediately the moment that question was asked. A sigh left his breath as a certain person came to mind.
"The previous commander wasn't as…enthusiastic about it." Maverick raised a brow as he inquired further. "Keith…really?" With a nod Erwin elaborated.
"Let's just say he was very…..set in his ways." That was all Maverick needed to fully understand the issue. A classic curse of the old guard mentality. 'If it aint broke don't fix it.' a phrase that was very common for him. He couldn't help but find his respect for the previous commander to lower a few points from this. Then again he seemed to realized his errors in the end, so he wasn't a total lost cause. Before he could continue his thoughts he was brought back by the sound of Erwin's voice.
"We attempted once in the past, a trial run to see its effectiveness. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side that day. For Keith it was more than enough evidence to postpone the implementation indefinitely."
'Of course.' The marked man thought. Leave it to something completely out of your control to ruin your plans. Wanting to switch the topic Maverick looked at the formation plan once again trying to see where he would fit in all this.
"So, where will I be positioned?" Erwin surprisingly raised his head rather quickly to meet his gaze. As if he was waiting for that question to be asked.
"That's just what I wanted to discuss with you. We were currently discussing which section it would be best to place you in. Figured we should have the man in question give his opinion." Maverick focused on the plan once more, deciding which section he personally would find himself best to be in.
"Well, if avoiding the giants is going to be our strategy, then maybe I'll stick to a more supportive role. Of course unless the giants try to flank us or break the formation entirely, then I'll definitely be in the thick of it." He said while scratching his beard. A humored huff left the commanders' breath as he figured that would be Maverick's exact answer.
"*Hmph* Quite the conundrum, having to restrain a one-man army such as yourself, no?" A snicker left the marked man's mouth from the commander's jest, lifting some of the previous downtrodden atmosphere of the room
"Yeah, while I can pretty much deal with anything that comes our way, I know I can't keep holding everyone's hand all the time. No offense." Erwin shook his head at his remark, clearly not insulted in the slightest.
"No, no, none taken. In fact, I'm in agreement, I made this point earlier with Beirer before you arrived. We can't hope to rely on your strength for every single occurrence, no matter how thankful we are of it."
"Which we are very thankful for, of course." Came the voice of said assistant, making Maverick smile at the young man's attempt at flattery.
"Wouldn't be fair to our fallen as well, having us simply drop our blades and leave everything to you will be spitting on their sacrifices." An understanding look came from Maverick, which made the commander glad.
"Knowing this perhaps we really should have you serve as a general reinforcement. Place you in the center of the formation and have our scouts signal you should they find themselves in serious distress." Came Peer's voice, making himself known. "I can work with that." Was all that Maverick said on the matter, no doubt having been in such similar situations.
"*Chuckle* You can thank Peer for that one, it was his suggestion after all." The marked man turned towards the scout with a smirk forming on his face.
"Heh, great minds think alike, eh?" A few chuckles came from Erwin and Beirer at the sight of their comrade's slightly flustered look, not used to being the center of attention.
With the mood slightly raised the commander spent the next few minutes discussing in better detail to Maverick his role in the expeditions as general support, before looking down at his pocket watch noticing they had been in the room for almost an hour.
"Well, I believe I've kept you from Hange for too long." He joked, eliciting a chuckle from the marked man.
"Right, can't keep Moblit by himself forever." Erwin let out a snort at the mention of the poor vice-captain.
"*Chuckles* Indeed." With that Maverick saluted and turned around to make his leave, until Erwin stopped him once again. "One last thing Maverick. Hange and Moblit showed off their designs, but I didn't see yours." Turning on his heel he met the commanders' gaze once again.
"Ah-well, we decided that my design would be best saved for a later date, till we got your approval." The commander gave him an inquisitive look, curious at what the marked man had proposed.
"Well for all intents and purposes, you did. So care to explain?" He placed his hands behind his back as he eagerly waited for an answer.
"Nothing much, just a few explosive modifications to our usual flare guns." The three scouts remained silent with surprised looks as they processed what he just said.
"E-Explosive?" Peer asked, receiving a nod. He stared off into space as the commander questioned Maverick further.
"And…you're positive these modifications are safe?" He asked in a firm tone, wanting nothing but the truth from the man.
"Safe enough." Was all the marked man said to the three. Erwin kept his gaze on Maverick for a few more moments before looking back at the formation plans.
"Well….until I see the plans myself, this design of yours will have to stay on hold. Like I said before, such a undertaking would require massive funds, perhaps even more." That was enough for the large man who nodded in agreement. "Of course."
"Well, I believe we are done here no? I'll let you get back to your squad." The two men saluted one another before Maverick made his way towards the door once again, lowering his head as he passed through the door frame. After hearing it close the three scouts returned to their previous work, not before Beirer made a passing comment.
"Didn't the scouts use bombs back then sir?" He asked. Erwin paused for a moment, trying to recall such a weapon in the scouts arsenal. Seconds passed before the image of a now discontinued handheld weapon flashed in his mind
"Yes, however they were found to be too volatile and unstable." Peer put his own two cents in seeing as he too recalled what Erwin was talking about.
"Maybe he can help perfect the formula then?" Erwin's face remained unexpressive as his gaze returned to the plan laid out before the three.
"Such weaponry could be useful in the future sir, like he said, we're severely lacking in the long-range department." Peer continued, leading to Erwin finally voicing his opinion.
"Of that I have no doubt, perhaps he might finally introduce us to this Greek Fire he spoke of some time ago." Erwin couldn't help but be amused as his two assistants looked at one another in surprise, recalling the stories Maverick told about the illusive inextinguishable fire.
"But there's something you're forgetting, Maverick's status here inside the Walls." The now confused looks from his aides told him that they had little idea of what he meant, which was honestly quite a pleasant sight, showed how much they trusted their glowing comrade.
"There are still many who are very much weary of him, still see him as a danger to the order here…" He allowed his men to take in that small tidbit of info before asking them a question. "How do you think they'll react when he suddenly provides the scouts with weaponry far more advanced than anything we've ever produced?" Seconds passed before their eyes widened, realizing the possible outcome from such a situation.
"B-But he's proven his loyalty to our cause…Surely they could understand that!" Peer exclaimed, followed by Beirer.
"Don't forget they entrusted us with him after his trial, they think they can just undermine that?!" Erwin could understand the feelings of his comrades regarding the marked man, but he also understood how those residing in Mitras felt as well. Not to mention the MPs, who always tended to give Maverick either nervous glances or kept their hands on their weapons whenever he passed them by.
"Yes, but with him going forward with this modified design, some might see this as a challenge or a breach of said trust." The two scouts shared worried glances, baffled by their commanders reasoning, but soon their look turned more resigned as they too began to understand the situation.
"Wouldn't put it past them honestly." Peer remarked followed by a humorless chuckle.
"And I'm sure he knows this as well." Erwin said. Based on a few of his stories, Maverick had a rather interesting way of settling matters with nobility.
"Yeah, if only he could kick some sense into those big wigs." Beirer said with a dry chuckle, receiving a stern reply from Erwin.
"And that's the kind of language that will get not only him, but us in very hot water." The young assistant let out a sigh and apologized, chalking it up to simply some wishful thinking on his part.
"Well, how should we proceed with this sir, can we even do anything?" Peer asked causing the commander to retreat into his thoughts once again. Indeed, how should they proceed? It's obvious that Maverick would at some point present advanced technologies into their military, it was all to assist them in their fight against their titanic enemies of course.
First with his theory, and now the prospect of explosive weaponry in their arsenal? He truly was an agent of change. But not everyone would welcome such changes, such as those who resided atop the capital of humanities last bastions.
While he was certain his large comrade could handle himself, whatever actions either he or those atop will no doubt lead to some hostilities. This was something that needed everyone's involvement, not just him or the Survey Corps. With that in mind a plan began to formulate in his head, before shelving the matter aside, to be dealt with another time.
"Leave that matter to me, in the meantime we need to keep our focus on the future of our expeditions." His assistants looked baffled for a moment before resigning themselves to their tasks. If the commander had a plan, then that was all they needed to feel assured, showed how much they placed their trust in the commander of the scouts.
With that they continued where they left off, before their derailment by the energetic leader of the fourth squad.
-oOo-
Town of Eisengrad, hours later
Inside Tobi's Ironworks, the elder smith was currently on break after a long day of smithing all assortments of necessities for the town. He was honestly considering closing up for the day, seeing as the sky was turning orange, a usual sign of the day coming to an end. That was until he heard the sound of a carriage pulling up in front of his shop, followed by the voice of a familiar person.
"Wont take longer than a few seconds Moblit."
"Right, I'll be here!"
The door opened to reveal the welcomed sight of the man who had saved not only Shiganshina and Wall Maria, but his life as well.
"Afternoon Tobi." The marked man said with a smile as he entered the shop, lowering his head as to not hit his forehead on the door frame.
"Maverick!" The blacksmith made his way towards the large man and greeted him with a hug, which was reciprocated by the marked man in kind with a few pats on the back. An odd and amusing way for to greet someone for sure, but not uncommon, especially from those who survived the skirmish so many months ago.
"How's the buckle been treating ya?" The smith asked after exchanging their greeting. With a chuckle Maverick tabbed said iron buckle showing it still served him well.
"Works like a charm, haven't had my pants try to dangle down my legs for a while now."
"Ha! Of course! Only the best for our Slayer." A chuckle escaped the smiths' lips as he walked over to his counter before turning to the marked man with a smile. "So what can I do you for?"
Maverick approached the smith with a resolved look on his face. Taking out a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and presented it to him.
"I want to place an order for a set…"
A/N: Alright, setting up a lot of plot related things for the future. From the reveal of Erwin's long-range scouting formation to the debut of two special pieces of survey corps weaponry. Then there's also Maverick's trip to Tobi's. Just what exactly did he order? Something to help the scouts? Something more personal? Will I even remember to do something about this plot point in the future? Can't say for now.
Not sure if I mentioned this at all in the story but I spent a considerable amount of time playing the AOT 2 video game, which gave me a lot of ideas for this story. So expect some aspects and features from that game to make an appearance in this story.
Next point is in regard to the poll I had a few weeks back. As of the first of March, it is now closed, and if I'm being honest, I was a bit disappointed with the turnout. Not sure if its because of the website I used or if it was general uninterest, but I thank those who took the time to cast their vote. In the end I had to be the tiebreaker.
With that in mind I have decided to go forward with my original route for Maverick's romantic interest. That being the Polygamy/Harem route.
I've already said how his will work on my Wattpad account, but I'll repeat it here anyways. There are going to be some ground rules when it comes to Mav's future relationships, they are as follows.
1. Anyone that is far too young for Maverick is out of the question. That means characters like Mikasa, Christa, Shasha, etc. are a no go. Maverick is a much older individual, so his eyes will be set on the more mature women of the series. Seeing as he's old enough to be anyone's great-great-great-great ancestor, I figured someone who at least looks like they're in their mid to late 20s would be an ideal partner.
2. Although I say Harem, it's honestly going to be more like a love triangle/rhombus. As I don't plan on having Maverick getting it on with EVERY older woman of the series. One aspect I've never liked about harems was the absurd number of women going after one guy, with many of them barely having any development besides the main girl. Therefore, the maximum number of partners Mav will have will be two, three tops. Four is personally pushing it but I think I could make it work. Depending on how I make their interactions go.
Hope that clears things up for people, no doubt I lost a few follows cause some thought this was going to be one of those massive, cheesy, and otherwise bloated harem stories. Although this is my first-time writing anything with romance in mind, I hope I can make those aspects as organic as possible.
Also, don't expect the romance to happen soon though, it's gonna come down way later down the line. For let me remind you that Maverick still has yet to fully move on from his previous married life, as we've seen a few chapters ago. Though we see him joke around with his squad leader in the story, that's all it is at the moment.
Oh also, I'm going to be editing my earlier parts to replace Hange's rank from Section Commander to Squad Leader. It just makes more sense to me to be honest. Seriously, the hell is a Section Commander? Is that even a real military rank, or just made up for the anime?
That's all I wanted to get off my chest right now. Thank you all for reading and I hope you stick around for the next chapter. Till next time.