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That Exclusive Ike Meta Post, Part 2
Guess who got shit done? I got shit done, fuck yeah.
Here, have a meta post.
What's up with that epilogue?
And I mean in general, not the one with Soren.
Ike
Once he saw stability returned, Ike left on a journey to lands still unknown. He was never seen again.
First, I'm going to explain why I find his epilogue strange.
Mist
I won't allow it... I can't lose you. Don't you see? If you go, then I'll be all alone...I won't allow it.
Ike
I'm not going anywhere. I promise you, Mist...
- PoR Ch 8
Mist
Ike! I'm not going to repeat the same mistake I made with Dad! I don't want you to die while I... while I'm somewhere else. It was horrible... It ate me up from the inside. I'm never going through something like that ever again.
...
Everyone in the Greil Mercenaries is part of a family. We all follow the commander, no matter what. We'll live together, fight together, and die together. Right, Ike?
- RD 3-P "Mist"
Observe: His sister overtly expressing that she wants him there!
Micaiah
I thought I might travel to a far-off place after all of this was over. But I won't. I'll go back to Daein. No matter what happens, I'll have Sothe by my side. I have nothing to fear as long as he's with me.
Ike
It seems the feelings between you two run both ways. But that's probably the wisest choice for Daein, and Sothe too. Anyway...
- RD 4-F-3 "Micaiah"
Observe!
Micaiah: "I think I won't run off."
Ike: "Yeah that's probably best for your country and loved ones."
And then Ike... runs off.
Scarlet-Haired Paladin- Titania
Titania remained second in command of the mercenaries. Once a year, she visited the graves of her fallen friends.
- RD Epilogue
Observe: Titania's second in command! The mercenaries exist! ... Or do they? Hey, who's leading them?
Mighty Soldier- Boyd
Boyd trained day in and day out, so as not to lose his spot to "some stupid rookie". He never did, either.
Boyd (A support with Mist)
Boyd trained daily, so as not to lose his spot to "some stupid rookie". Mist humored her husband's insecurities.
Oh... Boyd. That's... uh... nice.... I mean I guess it sort of... passed to Greil's daughter in a sense...? (Further proof that Boyd was an Ike clone for plot convenience on several counts, including being a suitable projection for the incestuous valkyrie trope.)
Mind you, I don't buy that it passed onto Mist, since Boyd's implied to be the new Commander either way.
Silent Master of Winds- Soren
Though his tactical genius was unmatched, Soren never used his talents from anyone but Ike.
Soren (A support with Ike)
When peace had settled on the land, Soren packed lightly and set off with the only person he had ever trusted.
Also Soren's not staying with them anymore so I guess they're rolling around in wonderful postwar commission money or something.
I guess your daddy's mercenary group wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things, huh Ike?
Ike
I'm going to follow my father's wishes. I'm going to assume command. If everyone will accept me, that's what I'd like to do.
- PoR Ch 8
Shinon
...Yeah, whatever. Here's the deal... Now that yer a high-class noble, you can't be running around with a...bunch of broke mercenaries. All the other nobles...are gonna LAUGH at you! So...give it up! I'll do you a favor and take over.
Ike
I don't think so. I'm going to continue as commander of the Greil Mercenaries.
- PoR Ch 23 "Shinon"
Mist: You know, Ike, if you hadn't renounced your lordship, we wouldn't have to
run around like this to support ourselves.
Ike: Mist, I...
Mist: Oh, I know. I'm just teasing you, silly. Besides, I'd rather spend my
time helping people. Who wants to live like some overstuffed noble, anyway?
Definitely not me! We have Father's legacy to look after, as well: the
Greil Mercenaries.
- RD 2-F Post-Chapter
Nope. Definitely not that important. And I mean, it's not like he served any other pivotal roles in society.
Sanaki: Zelgius returned to the empire by himself to rescue Prime Minister
Sephiran. Our army consists of the troops he left behind, as well as the
armies of Crimea, Gallia, and Phoenicis. Ike, you're probably the only
person on the face of Tellius who commands respect from all four countries
represented here.
Ranulf: Ike, I know you're not happy about this, but you're the only person who
can bridge the rift between the laguz and beorc.
Ike: No, I'm not happy about it. I thought my days of being a general ended
three years ago. But I won't refuse. If you think I'm the only person who
can pull this off, then I'll do my best not to let you down.
- RD 3-11 Pre-Chapter
To summarize my argument:
1) Mist has told Ike repeatedly that she wants him around.
2) The Greil Mercenaries, as a group, are important to Ike.
3) There isn't clearly a person who could lead the Greil Mercenaries well in his stead, nor a single other person in Tellius who commands respect across the continent.
4) Ike shows his understanding that it's better for your loved ones and people who rely on you to not ditch Tellius.
5) Ike ditches Tellius anyway.
Why, Ike, why?
Theory Alpha: He isn't really needed.
Recap: There was a world war going on before Ashera turned everyone to stone. Yune's magic love dust or no love dust, people were stabbed, borders were crossed, messengers were assassinated, civil wars were started, and the dragons are on the brink of extinction.
1) Begnion seems particularly volatile.
Let me remind you, this is where we were:
An ever-growing number of Begnion's citizens are willing to believe the
senators' claim that the apostle is an agent of evil trying to deceive them.
- RD Ch 3-11 Narration
A large portion of the country siding with the force actively opposing the apostle... who then suddenly wake up to find the senate abruptly dead. Oh, and it turns out your apostle couldn't hear the goddess, either. "Hey look Lekain was right, it's a conspiracy, it's all a conspiracy." And now she's trying to turn over a large piece of land to the herons and forgive Daein and make new treaties with the laguz.
what.
Admittedly, Sanaki can do a lot more about this situation than Ike could. But Ike's proven to be a great enforcer of delicate national security issues twice in the past. If I were Sanaki, I would want Ike around for hire in tight situations.
... The Boyd Mercenaries just aren't the same.
2) Laguz-Beorc tension is still a thing.
"But didn't they sign a treaty at the end of 3-11?"
Titania
Do you remember what King Caineghis told you? The friendship between Crimea and Gallia exists only between the ruling classes. It hasn't taken root in the minds of the common citizenry at all.
- PoR Ch 11 Pre-Script
"Yeah but it's been a few years..."
Youth (2)
That's true, but come on! Think about it. Who would you rather side with? A land of beorc, or the land of sub... laguz? The answer's as plain as day. We side with the beorc.
- RD 3-9 "Villagers"
It may be getting better, but it's still a thing. And this is in tolerant, prosperous Crimea. A little ways east over the Oribes, we have a struggling country founded upon racist principles.
No, I don't seriously expect Ike to be able to do much about Daein. But it's shown over and over that he's a ~plain mercenary~ with some affable unpretentious charm, and he's a hero to at least Crimea and Gallia. He could potentially change many minds with his reputation and sheer endorsement of laguz-beorc equality, like Michael Jordan selling Nike shoes.
I mean, that's pretty much His Thing.
Soldier
It's this way. Follow me. Hey! Not so close! Walk behind me.
Ike
What?
Soldier
Er... Pardon me. The king has ordered us to treat beorc with kindness, but... It will...take some time. It is difficult to fight that instinct. Perhaps some memory of the slavery our forefathers suffered at beorc hands flows in our blood.
- PoR Ch 9
Ike: turning bigots into thoughtful citizens since Level 12 Ranger.
I suppose the wording of the epilogue is once he saw stability returned, but it seems to me that "stability" is very relative here. For true stability, he'd have to stick around until he started to grow gray hairs.
I can buy that he isn't needed in the sense that he isn't vital to the well-being of Tellius. But I don't agree that he has nothing to do here. There's always work to be done in Tellius. And Ike's influence is easily that of several hundred men.
Also, well, Mist. Mist would like him to stick around. She's got a husband but that isn't a replacement for her brother.
Theory Beta: He fled from fame.
Ike kind of has a history of fleeing from fame.
Soren
...Did you run in here to escape?
Ike
Look, whenever that woman corners me, it takes forever to get away. Let me hid in here until things simmer down.
- PoR Ch 23 "Soren"
Soren
Nothing in life is free, Ike. Suppose you said what she asked you to say, hmm? What then? You'd hear it all over the camp. In nearby villages. Eventually, the entire country would be saying it! "Ike, hero of the Mad King's War, is in love with Aimee the shopgirl." Rumors can quickly spin out of control.
Ike
Come off it. You're exaggerating.
Aimee
Ooh, don't be so sure. With my network of merchants, I'll spread the word to the four corners of Tellius! Within half a year, everyone will know! Then you will be mine forever, Ike! You'll have no choice at all!
Ike
Man, you go right for the neck, don't you? All right, Soren. She's all yours.
- RD 3-2 "Item Shop"
Perhaps to avoid becoming mired in these power
struggles, Ike renounced his peerage and took his leave of the court.
- RD 2-P Narration
But would it drive him to the extent of abandoning people?
Ike: No, I'm not happy about it. I thought my days of being a general ended
three years ago. But I won't refuse. If you think I'm the only person who
can pull this off, then I'll do my best not to let you down.
- "
Ike: The Laguz Alliance is in the right, Ranulf. The senate is actively
ignoring you, and worse, they're murdering your messengers. Why shouldn't
we help you get the senate's attention? I'm sure my people understand.
Besides, I would never abandon a friend in need.
- RD 3-0 Pre-Chapter
Not according to him, at least.
A common theme in my difficulty with all these theories so far is the idea that Ike would abandon people. Thus this next pair of theories.
Theory-Lemma* 1) Ike is secretly selfish.
This theory says that Ike's words are empty and when push comes to shove, Ike isn't altruistic enough to put up with the paparazzi for the good of Tellius.
I don't really like this explanation, because it seems to me that explaining most of his actions through the course of PoR/RD become very convoluted. Ike takes on a lot of unpleasant work... and it's clear fame is not his end goal. Unless you want to say that he thought he wanted fame, and then he found out it wasn't all that, or something. But come on. Occam's Razor.
*The word lemma comes from mathematics. It means a mini-proof, a mini-claim, a smaller fact you show in order to support your larger proof. I stuck it in here, because neither of these are reasons alone -- they only permit that the earlier given theories can hold water.
Theory-Lemma 2) Ike doesn't realize he's abandoning people.
That sounds weirdly gothic. I would phrase it like this: "Ike doesn't realize his own importance."
And I think that's plenty plausible. Ike is a manly blunt gruff mercenary and I think it's quite possible we can take his attested humility for what it is rather than as a social gesture.
Ike
It's not your fault, Titania. They did what they felt they had to do They didn't want to lose their lives to an inexperienced commander.
Titania
Ike! Don't talk about yourself like that.
Ike
I'm not saying that to gain anyone's pity. It's the truth. But even so, I have no intention of giving up command of this company.
Titania
Ike? Then what will you--
Ike
I'm going to follow my father's wishes. I'm going to assume command. If everyone will accept me, that's what I'd like to do.
- PoR Ch 8 Pre-Script
Ike
Sitting here in the morning, in the sunlight... It helps me to understand. I'm alive. I have trustworthy friends. That's how I know I can go on. I just hope I'm not...fooling myself.
Soren
No, you're not! You're not.
- PoR Ch 8 "Soren"
Ike: The Greil Mercenaries would be glad to help. I know that we're a small
unit, but we'll do our best to see the job done right.
Sanaki: I certainly hope you will. Especially since I've decided to make you
the commander of our combined forces.
Ike: Wait, hold on there! What did you say?! Listen, Apostle Sanaki, I'm really
flattered, but General Zelgius is much more qual--
- RD 3-11 Pre-Chapter
I'm pretty sure there's also some part where everyone is drooling all over Ike and he's just like "Just doing my job," but I can't seem to remember where exactly it is.
So anyway -- could it be perhaps that he doesn't believe that some people in Tellius are actually quite that attached to him? I don't know if he automatically assumes Mist talks in hyperbole (Actually I think he might make this assumption but that's headcanon) but he certainly doesn't seem to get Soren's clinginess.
Soren
...Ike. I'm not sure what help I could be to you. What place is there for me in a mercenary company, anyway?
Ike
You are so weird...I've always depended on you, haven't I? I need your tactical knowledge. I need your objectivity. You're not going to leave me, are you, Soren?
- PoR Ch 8 Pre-Script
Ike doesn't seem to understand the source of Soren's doubts. This is despite the fact that Ike seems relatively in touch with how Soren is feeling. (See: PoR Chapter 9 base, Chapter 13 post-script, Chapter 15 pre-script... I'm sure other examples exist.) And I have to wonder, seriously, when you can tell the moment someone's feeling upset, how can you not tell that they're latching onto you with all the impenetrable force of an oversized mecha leech?
It's true that there isn't too much game script of this nature -- demonstrating Ike's ignorance of Soren's clinginess -- but Ike never does seem to outright acknowledge it, whereas everyone and their mother and their art book puts Soren down as "that kid is only ever by Ike's side."
In the end, I sort of embrace this option because it's the kinder option. Because otherwise that means it is a canon-viable possibility that Ike ditches even Soren, even though (if you believe PoR Ike/Soren A is implicit due to RD's 3-2 "Strategist") Ike knows this:
And in the end, I just really don't want to believe that Ike is selfish enough to do something so cruel to someone so close to him.
If Ike underestimates his own importance, then he may believe the GMs will continue just fine without him. He may believe that Mist and Soren can do so as well -- he certainly does call Soren strong in PoR Ike/Soren A. He may believe that Micaiah is needed because Daein needs her for a ruler, and he is another case. And then theories alpha and beta can both be factors: Tellius is coming along pretty well, and Ike is sick of playing hero. Throw in that he doesn't think he's really ditching anyone, and we're done.
It makes sense, and it keeps Ike from being another dark twisted lord. :P I like Ike better this way.
Here, have a meta post.
What's up with that epilogue?
And I mean in general, not the one with Soren.
Once he saw stability returned, Ike left on a journey to lands still unknown. He was never seen again.
First, I'm going to explain why I find his epilogue strange.
Mist
I won't allow it... I can't lose you. Don't you see? If you go, then I'll be all alone...I won't allow it.
Ike
I'm not going anywhere. I promise you, Mist...
- PoR Ch 8
Mist
Ike! I'm not going to repeat the same mistake I made with Dad! I don't want you to die while I... while I'm somewhere else. It was horrible... It ate me up from the inside. I'm never going through something like that ever again.
...
Everyone in the Greil Mercenaries is part of a family. We all follow the commander, no matter what. We'll live together, fight together, and die together. Right, Ike?
- RD 3-P "Mist"
Observe: His sister overtly expressing that she wants him there!
Micaiah
I thought I might travel to a far-off place after all of this was over. But I won't. I'll go back to Daein. No matter what happens, I'll have Sothe by my side. I have nothing to fear as long as he's with me.
Ike
It seems the feelings between you two run both ways. But that's probably the wisest choice for Daein, and Sothe too. Anyway...
- RD 4-F-3 "Micaiah"
Observe!
Micaiah: "I think I won't run off."
Ike: "Yeah that's probably best for your country and loved ones."
And then Ike... runs off.
Scarlet-Haired Paladin- Titania
Titania remained second in command of the mercenaries. Once a year, she visited the graves of her fallen friends.
- RD Epilogue
Observe: Titania's second in command! The mercenaries exist! ... Or do they? Hey, who's leading them?
Mighty Soldier- Boyd
Boyd trained day in and day out, so as not to lose his spot to "some stupid rookie". He never did, either.
Boyd (A support with Mist)
Boyd trained daily, so as not to lose his spot to "some stupid rookie". Mist humored her husband's insecurities.
Oh... Boyd. That's... uh... nice.... I mean I guess it sort of... passed to Greil's daughter in a sense...? (Further proof that Boyd was an Ike clone for plot convenience on several counts, including being a suitable projection for the incestuous valkyrie trope.)
Mind you, I don't buy that it passed onto Mist, since Boyd's implied to be the new Commander either way.
Silent Master of Winds- Soren
Though his tactical genius was unmatched, Soren never used his talents from anyone but Ike.
Soren (A support with Ike)
When peace had settled on the land, Soren packed lightly and set off with the only person he had ever trusted.
Also Soren's not staying with them anymore so I guess they're rolling around in wonderful postwar commission money or something.
I guess your daddy's mercenary group wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things, huh Ike?
Ike
I'm going to follow my father's wishes. I'm going to assume command. If everyone will accept me, that's what I'd like to do.
- PoR Ch 8
Shinon
...Yeah, whatever. Here's the deal... Now that yer a high-class noble, you can't be running around with a...bunch of broke mercenaries. All the other nobles...are gonna LAUGH at you! So...give it up! I'll do you a favor and take over.
Ike
I don't think so. I'm going to continue as commander of the Greil Mercenaries.
- PoR Ch 23 "Shinon"
Mist: You know, Ike, if you hadn't renounced your lordship, we wouldn't have to
run around like this to support ourselves.
Ike: Mist, I...
Mist: Oh, I know. I'm just teasing you, silly. Besides, I'd rather spend my
time helping people. Who wants to live like some overstuffed noble, anyway?
Definitely not me! We have Father's legacy to look after, as well: the
Greil Mercenaries.
- RD 2-F Post-Chapter
Nope. Definitely not that important. And I mean, it's not like he served any other pivotal roles in society.
Sanaki: Zelgius returned to the empire by himself to rescue Prime Minister
Sephiran. Our army consists of the troops he left behind, as well as the
armies of Crimea, Gallia, and Phoenicis. Ike, you're probably the only
person on the face of Tellius who commands respect from all four countries
represented here.
Ranulf: Ike, I know you're not happy about this, but you're the only person who
can bridge the rift between the laguz and beorc.
Ike: No, I'm not happy about it. I thought my days of being a general ended
three years ago. But I won't refuse. If you think I'm the only person who
can pull this off, then I'll do my best not to let you down.
- RD 3-11 Pre-Chapter
To summarize my argument:
1) Mist has told Ike repeatedly that she wants him around.
2) The Greil Mercenaries, as a group, are important to Ike.
3) There isn't clearly a person who could lead the Greil Mercenaries well in his stead, nor a single other person in Tellius who commands respect across the continent.
4) Ike shows his understanding that it's better for your loved ones and people who rely on you to not ditch Tellius.
5) Ike ditches Tellius anyway.
Why, Ike, why?
Theory Alpha: He isn't really needed.
Recap: There was a world war going on before Ashera turned everyone to stone. Yune's magic love dust or no love dust, people were stabbed, borders were crossed, messengers were assassinated, civil wars were started, and the dragons are on the brink of extinction.
1) Begnion seems particularly volatile.
Let me remind you, this is where we were:
An ever-growing number of Begnion's citizens are willing to believe the
senators' claim that the apostle is an agent of evil trying to deceive them.
- RD Ch 3-11 Narration
A large portion of the country siding with the force actively opposing the apostle... who then suddenly wake up to find the senate abruptly dead. Oh, and it turns out your apostle couldn't hear the goddess, either. "Hey look Lekain was right, it's a conspiracy, it's all a conspiracy." And now she's trying to turn over a large piece of land to the herons and forgive Daein and make new treaties with the laguz.
what.
Admittedly, Sanaki can do a lot more about this situation than Ike could. But Ike's proven to be a great enforcer of delicate national security issues twice in the past. If I were Sanaki, I would want Ike around for hire in tight situations.
... The Boyd Mercenaries just aren't the same.
2) Laguz-Beorc tension is still a thing.
"But didn't they sign a treaty at the end of 3-11?"
Titania
Do you remember what King Caineghis told you? The friendship between Crimea and Gallia exists only between the ruling classes. It hasn't taken root in the minds of the common citizenry at all.
- PoR Ch 11 Pre-Script
"Yeah but it's been a few years..."
Youth (2)
That's true, but come on! Think about it. Who would you rather side with? A land of beorc, or the land of sub... laguz? The answer's as plain as day. We side with the beorc.
- RD 3-9 "Villagers"
It may be getting better, but it's still a thing. And this is in tolerant, prosperous Crimea. A little ways east over the Oribes, we have a struggling country founded upon racist principles.
No, I don't seriously expect Ike to be able to do much about Daein. But it's shown over and over that he's a ~plain mercenary~ with some affable unpretentious charm, and he's a hero to at least Crimea and Gallia. He could potentially change many minds with his reputation and sheer endorsement of laguz-beorc equality, like Michael Jordan selling Nike shoes.
I mean, that's pretty much His Thing.
Soldier
It's this way. Follow me. Hey! Not so close! Walk behind me.
Ike
What?
Soldier
Er... Pardon me. The king has ordered us to treat beorc with kindness, but... It will...take some time. It is difficult to fight that instinct. Perhaps some memory of the slavery our forefathers suffered at beorc hands flows in our blood.
- PoR Ch 9
Ike: turning bigots into thoughtful citizens since Level 12 Ranger.
I suppose the wording of the epilogue is once he saw stability returned, but it seems to me that "stability" is very relative here. For true stability, he'd have to stick around until he started to grow gray hairs.
I can buy that he isn't needed in the sense that he isn't vital to the well-being of Tellius. But I don't agree that he has nothing to do here. There's always work to be done in Tellius. And Ike's influence is easily that of several hundred men.
Also, well, Mist. Mist would like him to stick around. She's got a husband but that isn't a replacement for her brother.
Theory Beta: He fled from fame.
Ike kind of has a history of fleeing from fame.
Soren
...Did you run in here to escape?
Ike
Look, whenever that woman corners me, it takes forever to get away. Let me hid in here until things simmer down.
- PoR Ch 23 "Soren"
Soren
Nothing in life is free, Ike. Suppose you said what she asked you to say, hmm? What then? You'd hear it all over the camp. In nearby villages. Eventually, the entire country would be saying it! "Ike, hero of the Mad King's War, is in love with Aimee the shopgirl." Rumors can quickly spin out of control.
Ike
Come off it. You're exaggerating.
Aimee
Ooh, don't be so sure. With my network of merchants, I'll spread the word to the four corners of Tellius! Within half a year, everyone will know! Then you will be mine forever, Ike! You'll have no choice at all!
Ike
Man, you go right for the neck, don't you? All right, Soren. She's all yours.
- RD 3-2 "Item Shop"
Perhaps to avoid becoming mired in these power
struggles, Ike renounced his peerage and took his leave of the court.
- RD 2-P Narration
But would it drive him to the extent of abandoning people?
Ike: No, I'm not happy about it. I thought my days of being a general ended
three years ago. But I won't refuse. If you think I'm the only person who
can pull this off, then I'll do my best not to let you down.
- "
Ike: The Laguz Alliance is in the right, Ranulf. The senate is actively
ignoring you, and worse, they're murdering your messengers. Why shouldn't
we help you get the senate's attention? I'm sure my people understand.
Besides, I would never abandon a friend in need.
- RD 3-0 Pre-Chapter
Not according to him, at least.
A common theme in my difficulty with all these theories so far is the idea that Ike would abandon people. Thus this next pair of theories.
Theory-Lemma* 1) Ike is secretly selfish.
This theory says that Ike's words are empty and when push comes to shove, Ike isn't altruistic enough to put up with the paparazzi for the good of Tellius.
I don't really like this explanation, because it seems to me that explaining most of his actions through the course of PoR/RD become very convoluted. Ike takes on a lot of unpleasant work... and it's clear fame is not his end goal. Unless you want to say that he thought he wanted fame, and then he found out it wasn't all that, or something. But come on. Occam's Razor.
*The word lemma comes from mathematics. It means a mini-proof, a mini-claim, a smaller fact you show in order to support your larger proof. I stuck it in here, because neither of these are reasons alone -- they only permit that the earlier given theories can hold water.
Theory-Lemma 2) Ike doesn't realize he's abandoning people.
That sounds weirdly gothic. I would phrase it like this: "Ike doesn't realize his own importance."
And I think that's plenty plausible. Ike is a manly blunt gruff mercenary and I think it's quite possible we can take his attested humility for what it is rather than as a social gesture.
Ike
It's not your fault, Titania. They did what they felt they had to do They didn't want to lose their lives to an inexperienced commander.
Titania
Ike! Don't talk about yourself like that.
Ike
I'm not saying that to gain anyone's pity. It's the truth. But even so, I have no intention of giving up command of this company.
Titania
Ike? Then what will you--
Ike
I'm going to follow my father's wishes. I'm going to assume command. If everyone will accept me, that's what I'd like to do.
- PoR Ch 8 Pre-Script
Ike
Sitting here in the morning, in the sunlight... It helps me to understand. I'm alive. I have trustworthy friends. That's how I know I can go on. I just hope I'm not...fooling myself.
Soren
No, you're not! You're not.
- PoR Ch 8 "Soren"
Ike: The Greil Mercenaries would be glad to help. I know that we're a small
unit, but we'll do our best to see the job done right.
Sanaki: I certainly hope you will. Especially since I've decided to make you
the commander of our combined forces.
Ike: Wait, hold on there! What did you say?! Listen, Apostle Sanaki, I'm really
flattered, but General Zelgius is much more qual--
- RD 3-11 Pre-Chapter
I'm pretty sure there's also some part where everyone is drooling all over Ike and he's just like "Just doing my job," but I can't seem to remember where exactly it is.
So anyway -- could it be perhaps that he doesn't believe that some people in Tellius are actually quite that attached to him? I don't know if he automatically assumes Mist talks in hyperbole (Actually I think he might make this assumption but that's headcanon) but he certainly doesn't seem to get Soren's clinginess.
Soren
...Ike. I'm not sure what help I could be to you. What place is there for me in a mercenary company, anyway?
Ike
You are so weird...I've always depended on you, haven't I? I need your tactical knowledge. I need your objectivity. You're not going to leave me, are you, Soren?
- PoR Ch 8 Pre-Script
Ike doesn't seem to understand the source of Soren's doubts. This is despite the fact that Ike seems relatively in touch with how Soren is feeling. (See: PoR Chapter 9 base, Chapter 13 post-script, Chapter 15 pre-script... I'm sure other examples exist.) And I have to wonder, seriously, when you can tell the moment someone's feeling upset, how can you not tell that they're latching onto you with all the impenetrable force of an oversized mecha leech?
It's true that there isn't too much game script of this nature -- demonstrating Ike's ignorance of Soren's clinginess -- but Ike never does seem to outright acknowledge it, whereas everyone and their mother and their art book puts Soren down as "that kid is only ever by Ike's side."
In the end, I sort of embrace this option because it's the kinder option. Because otherwise that means it is a canon-viable possibility that Ike ditches even Soren, even though (if you believe PoR Ike/Soren A is implicit due to RD's 3-2 "Strategist") Ike knows this:
| Soren | Curse you! Why can't you leave me be?! I don't have any friends, Ike! I don't have anyone else! If I tell you and you turn on me... I... I... I don't think I can survive it. | ……どうして、 放っておいてくれないんですか？▼ 僕には…あなたしか 頼る相手がいないのに……▼ あなたに嫌われたら…… もはや生きてはいけないのに…… | ... Why won't you leave me alone? For me... other than you you I have no other companions to rely on, and yet... if I were to be hated by you...*3 I could no longer live, and yet... |
And in the end, I just really don't want to believe that Ike is selfish enough to do something so cruel to someone so close to him.
If Ike underestimates his own importance, then he may believe the GMs will continue just fine without him. He may believe that Mist and Soren can do so as well -- he certainly does call Soren strong in PoR Ike/Soren A. He may believe that Micaiah is needed because Daein needs her for a ruler, and he is another case. And then theories alpha and beta can both be factors: Tellius is coming along pretty well, and Ike is sick of playing hero. Throw in that he doesn't think he's really ditching anyone, and we're done.
It makes sense, and it keeps Ike from being another dark twisted lord. :P I like Ike better this way.
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Maybe it's because I played knowing where he'd end up, but it never felt too incongruous to me. I probably skimmed over the parts that didn't fit with what I knew would happen.
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I have an armchair theory that it was easier for you to jump to this conclusion because you're super-modest all the time. *noogie* As for myself and my compatriots in fandom at the time, the idea of Ike being oblivious to his own power in quite that fashion was ... well, at least to me, it seemed like a very foreign idea when I finally entertained the notion.
Especially since, externally speaking, everyone ever is all about how awesome Ike is.
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Hah!
I can totally get behind that.
But come on. Occam's Razor.
Exactly. This is a commercial video game. The more convoluted any interpretation is (as opposed to the convoluted aspects spelled out in the script), and the more hand-waving it involves, the less likely it is to be the intended interpretation.
Still not 100% satisfied with any interpretation of Ike's behavior; I guess I'll just have to see what I think of him after playing FE10.
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To spend two whole games with Ike and then have him skip town... I thought it was a pretty suitable ending, myself, until I read some other fans' specific objections for why they didn't like it. And when you bring Mist and all that into it, his actions do seem pretty weird.
If it were really a case of Ike saying to Tellius, "I've had enough of your problems and I want some Me Time," I'd find it a well-deserved vacation. But since the "selfish" interpretation doesn't make as much sense in light of the script, I feel more ambivalent about it. Eh.
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Although one could speculate that he only planned to take a short vacation but got eaten by a shark or something, but that's OOC in a different sense. *shot*
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Just as long as he isn't killed by Heather for murdering Leonardo's brother.no subject
Man, doesn't it ever suck to get murdered on your honeymoon for shit you had to do on the job.