#ikesoren die for you

[thelogicofikeandsoren]

Layers of Canon

"Is Ikesoren canon" is a much more complicated question than a lot of people will give it credit for, namely because of all of the different layers of canon.

Layer 1: Obvious Canon. These are the things that anyone playing the game could see from standard cutscenes and base conversations including but not limited to:

Ike prioritizes making Soren happy over doing his job (PoR 13), doing his job over looking at flowers (PoR 17), and looking at flowers over looking at women (PoR 14)

Ike finds Aimee off-putting (PoR 13 and 23, RD 3-2 and 4-1)

Soren and Ike worry about each other constantly and protecting each other, including but not limited to Ike placing himself in front of Soren to protect him from a tiger attack (PoR 8) and Soren lashing out when he can't follow Ike to fight the Black Knight (PoR 27) as well as the bond bonus.

Soren knows how to woo Ike (PoR 23)

Ike, in no uncertain terms, does not want to marry Elincia (PoR epilogue and RD)

Micaiah and Yune both refer to Soren as the boy who is always beside Ike (RD 4E)... Confirmed when fighting Ike as an enemy (RD 3-13).

Ike is not (just) oblivious to love (RD 4-1)

Layer 2: Esoteric Canon. These are things that require extra effort to see but are either implied to always happen or have no long term consequences. This includes the entirety of Ike and Soren's PoR support path as well as Soren's battle quotes with Shinon and Micaiah and escape quotes. Here we also add...

Soren being able to recognize tiredness on Ike's face through a small tic Ike doesn't notice and Ike compliments him afterwards (PoR C)

Soren expressing that Ike is the only person he can rely on and Ike assuring him he will always stand by him (PoR A)

"There's only one place for me to be, Ike, and it's by your side" (PoR epilogue, if A supported)

A warm core is melting Soren's freezing heart according to Micaiah (RD 3-7)

Layer 3: Uncertain Canon. These are things that most likely happened according to game preferences, but can be avoided. This would include Ike and Soren's Radiant Dawn supports and paired ending as well as any new game+ exclusive material. Most of the nature of Ike and Soren's relationship is here, including:

"I vow to remain by your side as long as I draw the breath of life" (RD A)

"My only wish was to see you again" (RD 4-E)

The support ending where Soren sets off with Ike and Ike was never seen again

Layer 4: Implicit Canon: Sometimes things that should be obvious are not spelled out, so a lot of the disagreement happens between these two levels. Here are some good examples:

When Micaiah talks about warm feelings, she means romantic ones because both her and Sothe, and Naesala and Leanne, whom she also uses the terms for, explicitly get married. Soren saying "do not presume to understand me" is a dodge, not a denial.

When Ike says Aimee "has issues with reality", that is in direct reference to her theory that he's (just) not ready to settle down.

All of the Aimee, Elincia, and temple handmaiden evidence suggests that Ike, at the very least, does not prefer women.

Because Ike and Soren are emotionally closed-off, them sharing a tender hug (technically also an inference but not a controversial one) says more than it would for the average characters.

Ike and Soren leaving alone together forever heavily suggests a romantic relationship.

Layer 5: Word of God: At this point, canonicity starts becoming more nebulous. This could include anything from side materials such as the art book, which says that "Ike's sense of how dear Soren is to him is renewed" and that "Ike doesn't care for the affections of women." Both are already present in implicit canon. But this makes them explicit, if only outside of the work.

Layer 6: Improbable Canon: These are things that are present in the game, but require you to make choices counter to the best narrative. This will include any of the death quotes, for which all of Soren's and two of Ike's reinforce how much they care about each other. The one-sided reading could potentially fit here as well, as so much of Ike returning Soren's affections requires them to have a paired ending (and special scene if possible), so the two less-encouraged Ike endings (and by extension, one DIScouraged Soren ending) could come across this way.

Layer 7: Soft Canon: Anything that is supported not by PoR and RD or their teams, but is supported by FE crossovers such as Heroes, Engage, and the Awakening DLC. And yes, this does mean that Priam is more nebulously canon than Ike and Soren's support ending. Sorry not sorry.

Layer 8: Non-Canon: Headcanons that do not contradict any official evidence but aren't supported by it either. While some people will have these to connect Ike/Soren to Priam and/or Soren's relatives, to speculate on their future, or to further characterize either, this is NOT necessary to think Ike and Soren are a couple in general. This would also include more general crossovers such as Smash Bros.

Layer 9: Counter to Canon: finally we have this set. These are definitively untrue based on level 1 evidence and the aggregation of levels 2-6, but people will use them for a variety of reasons from trying to relate better to the characters to write a what-if scenario to... My entire "straight Ike arguments" and "straight Soren nonsense" tags.

Conclusion: Ike and Soren having their primary relationship is layer 3 at worst, it being romantic is layer 5 at worst, and being adamantly opposed to it is level 6 at best and 9 at worst.

[endsofthearth]

My illustration for The Devoted @ikesorenzine !!!

[traincat]

hi!! ikesoren height anon again, thank you for the detailed answer!! i honestly loved how thorough it was, but you talking about the height and weight stats in-game also made me think—soren's probably not wearing any armor into battle with a weight stat like that, huh?? ike being even heavier than he is tall makes sense because he's got armor and a big sword and whatnot, but soren is really just charging into battle in nothing but a shirt and cloak... i know mechanically it's somewhat normal for mage classes in these kinds of games to only wear light/leather armor or even just cloaks, but i wonder how ike feels about soren waltzing into fights with zero padding lol

Hi height anon! Yeah, like you said, it's pretty typical for Fire Emblem mages not to wear much in the way of armor. Typical fantasy RPG things. (His strength stat in FE9 starts at, uh. Zero.)

But on the general topic of Ike worrying over Soren/being protective over him, there's a couple of things this ask brought to mind, like these quotes from Soren's introductory chapter.

Shinon: All right, Ike. Let’s see how you handle the role of captain. Well? What are your orders, boy? We’ll do what you say, so long as you hurry up and spit it out! Ike: I know, I know! I’m thinking! Give me a moment, will you, Shinon? Shinon: Bah. Useless! We’d be better led with Mist than this soft, untested whelp. Ike: Let’s see…We’re in the middle of the road, and there’s not much cover. Soren and Rhys are vulnerable, so we have to protect them from enemy attacks…Right? Soren: That’s a sound strategy, Ike. I can attack from behind your defenses. Good thinking. Ike: Do you mean that? Um…all right! Let’s do that then.

(FE9, Chapter 4.) For context, Ike's the son of a mercenary commander and this is the first job he's been given lead over, so he's very much still learning how to command -- so this is a little bit tutorial-y for players, built into the script, since Soren is your first mage and positioning him behind a character with better defense like Ike is a pretty good strategy for training him up. (There's also some boss dialogue much later where Shinon accuses Soren of, quote, "hiding behind Ike's apron.") The above is the default, where everyone is alive, but there's this variation if you've (somehow) gotten multiple other characters killed.

Soren: Ike, do you have any ideas on how you want to approach this fight? Ike: Let’s see…We’re in the middle of the road, and there’s not much cover. You’re vulnerable, so I have to be sure you’re protected from enemy attacks, right? Soren: Right. Er…sorry for the trouble…but I appreciate the consideration. Ike: Sure. All right, let’s do that then.

I think the awkwardness of this variation is really cute, tbh, down to Soren apologizing for the trouble. It fits considering how young they both are at this point in the game, and that it takes place in the early chapters before war breaks out.

And then a variety of "death" quotes -- Soren is too plot important to actually be killed before the very final chapters of FE10, so if you do get him killed, Ike will order him to retreat. (Classic Fire Emblem has permadeath for characters, and it's sort of an in-joke-that's-not-entirely-a-joke that a lot of players, including me, will just reset if characters die. Listen, it's the right way to play. But I always like looking at the death quotes, they tell you a lot about the characters, and Soren has a lot of special ones.)

Soren: Oof! That was…poorly done. Ike: Retreat, Soren! You’ve done all you can here! Soren: But, Ike… Ike: You heard me. Fall back! You can still help us with our planning. Besides, if you tell us all what to do, we’ll be better off, right? Soren: I… I understand… Please…be careful!

(Up until FE9, chapter 17.)

Soren: Oh… Ow! Ike: Hold it, Soren! You’re not staying in this a moment longer! Withdraw! Soren: Ike, I can still– Ike: Our tactician isn’t allowed to make faces like that. Ever! Listen, we need you planning our strategies at base, so leave that attitude behind. That is unless you have a problem with the two of us in command. Soren: Of-of course not! I didn’t see… … I understand. But listen… Stay safe, Ike.

(FE9, chapter 18 until the endgame chapter.)

Soren: Argh! Not now… It’s the last battle… How could I be so careless? Ike: Soren! Just fall back! This may be the last battle for Crimea, but it won’t be the last battle for us, will it? Soren: What? Ike: We’re mercenaries. After this battle, there will be hundreds, maybe thousands of fights ahead. Am I wrong? Soren: I… No… Ike: Right. So get out of here. Our little group needs you! Do you understand? Soren: Ike… I understand. I will withdraw… Ike! Don’t let me down!

(FE9, endgame.)

Soren: …Ugh… What a terrible place… to die… Ike: Soren, retreat! Soren: But, Ike… Ike: Aren’t you supposed to be my strategist? Use your head! I need your help. Soren: …I see. As you command…

(FE10, part 3.)

And, okay, listen, not on the subject of Ike being protective, but Soren's endgame actual death quote is a lot.

Soren: Ike… Please live… Even if all the cities burn, and the seas swallow Tellius… You mustn’t die… Not you…

(FE10, part 4 endgame.)

There's also some fun game mechanics at play -- if you have Ike and Soren next to each other in FE9, Ike negates critical hits against Soren. Soren is the only character he does this for, notably.

The possessed version of Ike from the mobile game also explicitly warns only three characters to stay away from him so he won't hurt them -- Mist, his sister; Titania, his surrogate mom; and Soren.

[taihua]

i've never played fire emblem and my only exposure to these characters is from nintendo smash and yet. your ikesoren posts are so interesting to me please tell us more

I almost made a post yesterday along the lines of "I hope I post about them enough that when my tumblr mutuals play Smash Bros they think about oomf who writes yaoi about that one fighter"

Ike's special trait is that he was the first Fire Emblem protagonist who wasn't royalty or nobility--he's a mercenary's son who ends up leading his dad's mercenary company after a war breaks out. He's a good dude and also kind of a smartass who almost caused a major diplomatic incident by calling an Empress and her nobles disgusting horrible people (he was right but tact isn't always his strong point). Suffered really terrible twink death between game 1 and 2 but it's ok, he's still cute even when he's built like a refrigerator and at least it gives him a nice size difference with his tiny boyfriend.

Soren is a mage and eventual strategist/tactician in the mercenary company and oh boy does he have the most miserable awful tragic backstory! He's half human and half dragon shapeshifter, and since that kind of relationship is taboo in their world, he's been discriminated against because of it. He was abandoned as a baby for reasons*, raised by a woman who hated him until she sold him to a demanding wizard who only wanted to pass on his skills to someone before he died, and then when he did die Soren had nowhere to go and no one would take him in. He was about to starve to death, but he happened to meet child Ike at the edge of a village and Ike gave him something to eat and it was the first time anyone had ever done anything nice for him. He eventually joins the mercenary group specifically because he wanted to find Ike, and pretty much everything he does revolves around protecting Ike, helping Ike, and doing what Ike wants. He is also kind of a smartass, and because he's traumatized he wouldn't really care if the whole continent exploded with everyone on it... as long as Ike is safe!

*The reasons: his dad is the main antagonist of the game. The guy who wants to start a continent-wide war to unleash an evil god from cursed amulet prison. Soren doesn't know this, but there's extra anguish when you learn what happened to his dragon mom and all the awful things she had to endure because she hooked up with an absolute nutcase :,)

Anyway that's all nice ship material and their in-game interactions are cute but the real bonus part is that their relationship is really strongly implied to be canon and probably would have been explicitly canon if the game hadn't been released in 2005. One of Fire Emblem's things is having characters pair off together depending on which relationships you support, and the endings change slightly depending on which relationships you set up. Ike has three possible endings; Soren always follows him no matter what, but with a maxed out support, they basically ride off into the sunset together. "When peace had settled on the land, Soren packed lightly and set off with the only person he had ever trusted." There's an artbook that talks about their two hearts becoming one. (The other two endings are Ike leaving by himself and Ike leaving with another guy, although the wording isn't anywhere near as suggestive; there is no version of the story where he ends up with a woman. Bro is gay fr. Toxic male fanbase hates to see it)

Since it's a 2005 gamecube game it's basically impossible to play now without an emulator but I got through it with this really good YouTube playthrough. In addition to ikesoren, it also has gay birds, catgirls, gay knight rivalry, milfs, and some hilariously bad voice acting. No previous FE knowledge required!

[drbtinglecannon]

Hi, friend! 💖 I hope things have been looking a little brighter for you, and if not, I'm manifesting it for you!

Now, for the ships ask game... Ikesoren and Raeda? 👀

You're always so sweet ;__; the cats have been really good lately so that's been a positive, thanks for checking in!!!

Ikesoren & Raeda my beloved. They both mean so much to me

Ikesoren

1. What made you ship it?

Ok so funny story I actually unknowingly played RD before PoR (one of my older brothers bought it for another older brother so we didn't realize it was a sequel at first), so I had only the sequel's dynamic to go off of, and RD didn't have the in depth support system that PoR does. I did end up going back to play PoR right after beating RD and I think through the process of playing both games in order to do all the bonus shit to get Ike & Soren's secret ending conversation I was ride or die by that point. When I played RD the first time almost every support I paired up was based on aesthetic alone since there weren't actual convos & you could literally pair up anyone -- it was fucking lawless haha. Since I didn't have the previous knowledge of who had what rapports I got a TON of the pairs I made wrong based on what friendships/relationships I ended up liking best after playing PoR hahah! Ikesoren was unfortunately one of them

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

Upon first glance you'd think they'd be an 'opposites attract' kinda dynamic but they're actually the same stone-faced smartass. I also love how Ike can't get an ending with a woman, it's either Soren or Ranulf, like the Tellius games really got an unequivocally gay Lord

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't really know what the popular opinions are, but based on fanart & fic I can recall seeing over the last decade or so, I don't like when Soren is portrayed as timid or shy. Like Soren's a bit of a bastard, even to Ike, he's not gonna get all 😳 around him, the neutral look of displeasure is his default expression even with the love of his life haha

Raeda

1. What made you ship it?

The second we saw Raine and could tell that was the kid Eda had her arms linked with from that S1 photo I was like "👀 ok ok finally learn that history!" Then Eda's smirk as she taunts "how are you supposed to be HeAd BaRd with stage freight?" I was like "omg snark, there's some bitterness but that's such a fond smile on her face" and then when they reunited? I was gone. By the time we saw the duet scene I was ride or die for Raeda. I genuinely believe we'll get a wedding montage at the end of W&D, or at least a kiss. Those two are extremely important to me

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

They hit every note! They're childhood friends, they were immediate best friends, they're equally chaotic despite appearances, they're exes, they've been carrying the torch for each other SINCE they broke up like 20yrs ago, they're both blushing messes around each other, the mutual pining, the fact they're older & grayer but still undeniably smitten with each other, they have their own flower that means "deception and graciousness" WHICH PERFECTLY SUITS THEM, Eda's a harpy & Raine's a monsterfucker! They just! Really mean a lot to me, getting to see old gray queer love combined with the chance to repair old relationships

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't really vibe with art that makes Raine look or dress a lot more femme than they present in the show or in Dana's art.

[finitevoid]

post dr2 hajime is both. and youre not taking komaedas luck into account yes hes terminally ill but he could also summon an asteroid. And conspiracy theory but his luck actually follows his will but because hes so within this idea of him being trapped in a luck cycle thats what he conjures up. When hes motivated enough like chapter 5 he seems to get it to do what he wants just fjne. Curious. He might be the strongest one here

what makes you think ikesoren and tatsujun wouldnt like each other. Soooo ike and tatsuya are chill. youre saying ike doesnt vibe with jun? or tatsuya doesnt vibe with soren? or just soren and jun dont vibe? Why

francis beats mortal gilbert up so bad that gilbert wouldnt live with a good quality of life with the damage thags been done to him so he gets mercy killed by francis. His funeral is held right there, in birmingham where they fought. Its just attended by the three surviving people because they dont wanna get i. Trouble for fighting and being naughty

That’s true I didn’t think about his luck. I just genuinely didn’t think about it Inwas just like yeah he’s stage 4 cancer bye. He probably can’t die either. cosmic of him. Yeah I’ve changed my answer it’s komahina actually but it’s because of some whacky seemingly random coincidence that kills akeshu

I m saying soren wouldn’t like either of them and jun would not like soren yeah. I don’t think tatsuya cares

gilbert wakes up and asks if it’s okay for him to attend his own funeral

[maykitz]

small update i have been unable to stop crying ever since i saw the valentines banner trailer

[gendice]

intsys/nintendo really created the Perfect romance with ikesoren its just a pity they were way too ahead of their time and did it way too early   nowadays not enough people appreciate it

[sonofgreil-inactive]

Tag drop!

[sharkbaitsekki]

stupid idea but hear me out pls i have no one to talk to about this: Hanahaki ikesoren au where Soren's had the disease for years and (kind of) keeps it away with magic, but at this point he's in some state of sad acceptance - though one day Ike coughs up a red flower (that suspiciously matches Soren's eye color) but Soren goes "no that can't be me lmao" even though everyone else is going "oh that's Soren"

Soren saw him pocket the petals, rushing to clean up after coughing them into his elbow. Ike’s tunic was soaked in the brigands’ blood, and perhaps that is why Soren saw them red. 

That night, while Ike slept, Soren stepped outside and watered with his tears the larkspur blooms that spilled from his lips. 

He did not look at Ike anymore, afraid to learn the colour of his downfall, simultaneously livid at its existence and envious that it would never be vermilion. Ike never showed him, either, never told him who it was, preferring to choke and cough and die over breaking Soren’s heart. It was selfless and selfish all at once, and when Soren thought of him, he loved him, he loved him, he loved him.

“It’s you,” Titania once said, silently imploring Soren for help, and Soren didn’t believe her because he did not deserve it. 

“It’s you,” Mist once sobbed, scrubbing bloody sprays off of Ike’s tunic sleeves, and Soren didn’t believe her because it had never been easy. 

“It’s you,” Rhys once said, wiping Ike’s feverish forehead, and Soren didn’t believe him, for when he looked at the sapphire of Ike’s dazed gaze, he nearly asphyxiated himself on a fenella of the same colour. 

When he became too weak to hold a sword, Soren loved him, and when he stopped eating, Soren loved him, and when he didn’t get out of bed one beautiful morning, Soren still loved him. 

“It’s you, it’s you, it’s you,” they all said, and Soren wanted to believe them, but was too afraid to after a lifetime of faithlessness. Instead, he grieved, growing a garden of larkspur towers to cover Ike’s eventual deathbed.

And one day, Ike opened his eyes, finally seeing the poisonous flowers encroaching upon him, recognizing the blue of their dangerous petals as they escaped past Soren’s bloody teeth. In the middle of it all, with the last of his strength, he pulled Soren close, cutting off the stems with his lips. 

“It’s you,” he murmured desperately, finally understanding, and when Soren plucked the poppy that delicately bloomed against his own lips, he believed. 

It was the last poppy that Soren ever saw. 

[thelogicofikeandsoren]

My thoughts on Clash of Heroic Ideals drama CD

Sothe and Micaiah are too dumb to live and honestly if the Black Knight hadn't shown up the war would have been over much sooner.

One of the YouTube comments on the translation said it made Soren's crush "even more obvious", and I'm not sure if it was MORE obvious, but it was certainly AS obvious as certain other places.

Soren here seems like he isn't ready to tell Ike how he feels, but almost does. He gives Ike a cheesy protection line, Ike teases him by saying he's acting like a father, Soren clarifies it's something else that Ike will soon understand, Ike asks him what he said, and Soren goes "Nothing!"

Soren being willing to stand between Ike and a weapon that would more likely kill him than Ike is officially canon as of its release. I mean, it wasn't a difficult inference, but now we have actual proof.

The Black Knight gotta be a big Debbie Downer to Soren. Why do you have to do that?

Mama Bear Titania!

Sothe is... Surprised? That Soren is still with Ike? Did he think Soren would pull a Micaiah and run away without saying goodbye or something? Soren, of course, reiterates he will never leave Ike.

Poor worried totally-not-crying Soren. And Ike apologizes for worrying him.

While Ike is unconscious, Soren tells Ike what happened to make him care so much about him, but what confuses me about this is he just says the gist without the details, and wasn't that already known by Path of Radiance A support? He was dying, Ike saved him, that's why he's the only person Soren truly cares for? Did I miss a piece of new information in this declaration?

[onlylowercase]

Soren for the character ask thing?

So I haven’t had a chance to play the Ike games due to it costing so much X.X but I do know a little bit about him from the fanbase and FEH

1.) favorite thing about them-Honestly his outfit is kick ass I love it a lot. Also he seems to have a very cute relationship with Ike,,

2.) least favorite thing about them-The sage outfit upgrades look not the best.. 

3.) favorite line- “ Ike… Please live… Even if all the cities burn, and the seas swallow Tellius… You mustn’t die… Not you… ” omg…

4.) brOTP-Can he be best friends with Robin? That would be fun I think they’d get along.

5.) OTP-Def Ikesoren.. very cute I have enjoyed all the art ive seen of it and I even drew it one time

6.) nOTP-I don’t have any!

7.) random headcanon- That when it comes to romance hes super shy!

8.) favorite picture of themMy favourite is actually the kid cipher card but the image wont post so second favourite it is! Love this alt so much I actually summoned for him a bit..

[deformed-cities]

a promise that we’ll never grow apart - Chapter 2: can you please be the only one to never grow up?

Pairing: IkeSoren

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn

Summary: “The previous day, Ike swore to protect him. Albeit silently, Soren is the one who swears to protect Ike now. He’ll die before he lets anything else befall him.”

Notes: AU in which Ike takes Soren to his home after their first meeting, and they never end up getting separated for years. Full of spoilers for RD.

[dragonsongs-reprise]

Soren.

You’re asking me to talk about the actual best boy in the universe??? Alrighty, let’s go!Sorry in advance, I tried to keep it short but well, it’s hard to shut up about my favourite

How I feel about this character:The best written character in the series, full stop. He’s so different to what you’d expect the best friend character to be, he’s cold, rude, pessimist and incredibly realistic when it comes to the situation they’re in, and I believe that worked so well for this games story. The Greil Mercenaries, while mercenaries, were generally very idealistic even when you’d expect them to be more abrasive to those around them and especially never do a job for free, and to have the main foil to this be their young strategist instead of some old man that everyone else could go “yeah yeah grandpa, whatever you say” allows the game to show both extremes and present as them as both equal standings to take. And he’s actually willing to grow and even start changing his viewpoint on things such as the laguz as he learns more about them and spend time with them, this goes to showing that Soren isn’t afraid to admit at least to himself that his mindset about the world isn’t perfect. And yet despite his coldness, he has feelings too. His problem is with properly expressing them without coming across as an callous asshole.

Soren’s also surprisingly empathetic towards others, which at first would seem like a contradiction considering his attitude, but it almost makes his personality make even more sense. He can understand why people act the way they do and this could be a underlying cause to his bitterness towards most people. He understands it, and he hates it. Even back when he was a starving child that couldn’t speak, he understood why everyone did the things they did, why they left him to die on the streets. He, although most likely in hindsight cause he was so young, understand why the women who looked after him for a short time despised him and wanted nothing more then to get rid of him. And he understands the person who’s most important to him, Ike, and because of his role in the mercenaries combined with the fact he cares so much about him, becomes the only person capable of looking out for him and understanding his feelings on everything.

TLDR; Wonderful character with growth and isn’t just a cold asshole 24/7

All the people I ship romantically with this character:Ikesoren, just Ikesoren. They understand each other then anyone else, they’ll always defend the other no matter what, they understand the pain and suffering the other has gone through. And they’re so devoted to the other, always wanting what’s best for them, no matter how it makes them themselves feel. They’re willing to show their weakness and be vulnerable around only each other and this leads to them knowing things about each other that no one else ever hears.

And their supports together just show how close they are by having Soren first picking up habits about Ike that he didn’t realize he had, then you have Ike showing concern over Soren the moment he figures out that he’s bothered by something when Soren brings up parents in their B support, and then he actually comforts him and erases his fears about his status as a Branded In their A support. And with an A support, they get extra dialogue which includes Soren saying “the only place for me is by your side”

Then there’s Radiant Dawn which continues off where Path of Radiance started, they show how their bond is even stronger now due to the Mad King’s War. With other characters commenting often on their level of closeness, with Micaiah going as far to say that Soren’s feelings for Ike are melting his cold heart. Then you have their A support exclusive scene in the Tower of Guidance that you can only get on the second playthrough or beyond where they have a heartfelt conversation about how they first met and Soren flat out admits he traveled all around Tellius just to meet Ike again, and the conversation ends with Ike comforting a now crying Soren. And the final point is their paired ending where they travel the world with the only one either of them ever trusted.

They’re just perfect for each other

My non-romantic OTP for this character:Stefan: I like they way they interact in their supports, and how Stefan doesn’t try to push the issue about Soren being Branded as well, letting him take his time with coming to terms with it. And always stating that Soren has a place in his colony full of Branded in Grann Desert. I imagine them becoming closer when the humans they knew during the two games start dying and perhaps Soren even taking up temporary residence in the colony. Even if they’re not like buddy-buddy, they’re at least decent friends who understand the burdens of being Branded.

My unpopular opinion about this character:Can we please stop making him such a “uwu soft boy” just because he happens to be very pretty? It’s just that’s the exact opposite of his character, so please stop.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:Him finding out about his parents, there’s a whole character arc waiting for him once he finds out who he’s related to, and what having the blood he has means for a possible future for him. The boy’s royalty but he just doesn’t know it yet, let him find out about it.

And maybe him having supports with more characters in Path of Radiance. While his supports with Stefan and especially Ike are so well done, it would be interesting to see how he interacts with other members of the Mercenaries and later the Crimea Liberation Army.

[ofimitations]

Eliwood, Chrom, Alfonse

Eliwood: Least favorite recurring character archetype?

//blease stop making eternally young girls and then putting them in awful clothes

Tiki? cute baby dragon whose age plays into the plot and how she’s especially susceptible to whatever makes dragons go feral. dressed like the child she is. Nowi? I love her but 1) her clothes? and 2) you can get her married to people despite her being only barely older than Tiki is in fe11. really not cool

fanservicey archetypes need to die in general but that one and the “girl who obsesses over a main character to the point of creepiness” are my least favorite

Chrom: Favorite FE ship(s)?

....chrobin........................... ikesoren................... xanemarth.................... I have like three (3) ships I care a lot about and that’s mostly it

minerva/palla is also Really Good but I don’t know either of them as well... julian/lena is the same....  I’m forgetting a lot, especially tellius ones, buuuuut there’s only a few that I’m emotionally invested in so yea

Alfonse: What character in Heroes can you just not seem to be able to get?

answered this one but I can also admit I tried for gunnthra and she never showed up. I got an easter chrom instead and I still don’t know what to do with him

[miyaio]

multiples of 3 you haven't done yet?

more valentine’s meme stuff!

3) what is the rarest pair that you ship?

- probably my own url’s namesake?  there are like five other miyaio shippers in all creation despite the game laying it on so thick that miyako’s survival in the true end is contingent upon her bond w/io, not w/the male protag.  i’m also pretty sure i’m the only jenny/celica shipper, tho we’ll have to see if they have an iota of actual basis in sov’s extended script, haha.  never make jokes about gay readings of suspiciously vague character endings from a 90s srpg whose script could probably fit within the length requirements for a common app essay, kids.  you’ll get invested and die.

6) what is your most angsty ship?

- owainigosev in the context of fef, or urehibi in the context of kingmaker?  i’m leaning towards the latter, since the whole bittersweet tragedy of kingmaker revolves around hibiki forming such a close bond of trust w/saiduq, uplifting this being who’s been called the anguished one for millennia for a reason, and then both of them having to let each other go.  owainigosev in fates is somewhat extrapolation-based, if you interpret odin and selena’s absurdly flattened characters as a sign that they’re in a bad place mentally, rather than a sign that the fates support writers completely forgot what really made ppl love owain and severa in the first place.  :/  still, fef continues to be my $80 fea trio weepypasta simulator.

12) what is your favorite canon ship?

- despite loving established relationships, i have very few canon ships that i’m partial to?  even when i consume media w/canon ships, i rarely find myself liking said pairs, usually b/c they’re some variant of Bland Het when there’s either a better het option or a better gay option.  can i count ikesoren?  i’m gonna count ikesoren.

15) what is the first ship you had?

- two of the dinosaurs from that obscure don bluth movie, we’re back, probably.  i used to make up elaborate scenarios (complete w/a small child’s loose understanding of romance) w/my dinosaur action figures as a four-year-old lmao

18) is there a ship the writers have ruined for you?

- i can’t think of one--usually, the intended ship is ruined for me from the get-go, rather than bad developments making me change my once-good opinion.

24) what is one scene you want to see happen for all of your ships?

- this is a pretty big question!  is “domestic stuff” too vague?  i really just like to see established relationship content where characters cohabitate in their daily lives.  i guess i could also go for a wedding scene (esp for f/f ships), but the catch there is that i don’t think all my ships would get married, nor would i want some of them to.

27) name a ship that deserved better in the end:

- the only fef localization bullshit you’ll ever catch me complaining abt is that laslow/peri’s end was changed from “peri works thru her trauma and becomes a stable, more fulfilled person while laslow supports and loves her” to “she was a serial killer i guess??  lol”.  let me pretend i live in a timeline where peri’s character was treated seriously and actually thought through for more than twenty seconds so that we could’ve had a really interesting and unique female character, rather than lol infantilized murdergirl.  she and laslow can still get married in the better universe, tho www

30) is there a ship you like, but you dislike the fandom?

- azujero...............  it’s not as bad these days as it was in its heyday, admittedly.  azujero fandom of yore is partially responsible for my irrational-yet-volcanic hatred of chrom!inigo, and every once in a while, some yaoi trope nonsense rears its straight fujo wankbait head to make me ashamed of my own bad taste in slash.  i continue to be a professional azujero elitist into perpetuity. (i am fully aware how silly it is to hate yaoi manga-esque for my own terribad slash ship)