Okay it's Soren headcanon post time
I'm lurking on FE-related tumblrs like the creeper I am, and I'm seeing some slightly old but still interesting posts, and I just... I think I get why Soren is such a controversial character, now. There are way too many different ways to interpret him.
My least favorite interpretation? Whiny, weepy uke. Yeah, it's actually still quite common - but moreso in the Japanese fandom than in the English one, it seems? Which is actually quite interesting; interpreting Japanese!Soren in that way isn't quite as surprising to me, as some of his more biting remarks were really just "..."s in Japanese, he uses rather polite language, he even stammers in front of Ike several times, and responds to practically all orders he gets from him with a "hai" (which is more "yes, sir" than just a casual "yes"; so it does come off as a little submissive).
And then you get lots of fan art of Girl!Soren or Maid!Soren or whatever. But speech patterns and such aside, it's still not that much of an excuse for this kind of interpretation. A lot of it most likely has to do with what the player imagines him to look and sound like - the first one is a little odd, since you'd expect people to, you know, assume that he just looks the way he does in-game, or in the official art. Looking over most fan art sites, this is clearly not the case, since he's often (very often) portrayed as a lot more feminine-looking. Or just drawn as a girl outright, further driving home the point that he's being interpreted as girly, and therefore, a stereotypical uke.
Which, no matter how I look at it, just can't be right. He's calm, cold, and analytical, and a very pragmatic person. A loner, for the most part, and a tactician. He's snarky and sarcastic. How many of these traits sound like traditionally feminine characteristics? None. I can only really conclude that the portrayal of Soren as an uke is because fans have a tendency to overlook his character as a whole, instead choosing to only focus on certain aspects of it.
But there's yet another interpretation I need to address: that of Soren as a person who, given just a little bit of development, would be willing and ready to move on from Ike.
This one is a bit odd, because it's not quite as common. Since I'm not very good at summing up things, I'm going to attempt to explain this a little more in-depth. As far as I can tell, it, in essence, says RD!Soren is no longer dependent on Ike, has learned how to open up to others, and would actually be perfectly willing to accept his leaving Tellius to go on a journey, be it alone or with Ranulf.
I strongly disagree with this sentiment as well.
There's a base conversation that mentions how Soren has changed, where Titania and Ranulf seem to hint that he might be starting to open up more. If anything, I'd say that he comes off as less brooding than in PoR. In FE9, though, he spent a long time worrying about his brand, until he finally admitted to Ike that he was, in fact, a half-breed (telling him about his past beforehand no doubt allowed him to get yet another problem off his chest, which most likely contributed to his character development). Before anyone points out that the Ike/Soren A support didn't necessarily happen in canon, Soren must have told Ike about it at some point, as evidenced by the following conversation in RD:
Micaiah: I thought I was reaching the limit of how long I could stay with him. He grew each and every day, but I remained the same... I didn't want him to be harmed by the curse I lived with. Can you imagine how hard that would have been on him?
Ike: You mean the blood of the laguz?
Micaiah: So you knew. Did you find out from the boy who's always beside you?
Ike: Soren. Yeah. I guess you both know how to recognize people with a similar nature.
In addition, it's obvious Soren doesn't feel as ashamed of his heritage in RD as in PoR. When he speaks to Micaiah, he openly admits to being Branded and doesn't attempt to hide it in the slightest - which is quite different from how he acted in his supports with Stefan in FE9. My opinion? Soren was never truly ashamed of his heritage, per se. He wasn't scared of what people other than Ike would think of him; as always, the only thing he truly cared about was that Ike wouldn't reject him after learning about it. Which is also why he's scared of actually doing anything when Nasir confronts him about his brand. He doesn't want Ike to know, and nobody else really matters.
But once it turned out that Ike was perfectly fine with it, Soren didn't have much of a reason to hide his heritage anymore. Considering that these rather heavy weights were lifted off of his shoulders, I'd say it's fair to assume he would appear more at ease in RD. This is what I believe Titania and Ranulf are referring to - not that he's necessarily starting to develop real people skills of his own free will because he'd like to get to know others better, but that he's not as prone to brooding anymore. From Ranulf and Titania's point of view, this could probably be seen as him starting to come out of his shell, true. But I don't think it's implying much more than that.
On a somewhat related note, I also object to the idea that Soren completely gets over his hatred of laguz in FE10. Nope; although I suppose this is somewhat obscure, so it's not really a surprising interpretation given the dialogue in the English version of the game. In the Japanese extended hard mode dialogue, however, there's this little bit (translation courtesy of SF, by the way):
Ranulf: Lady Titania, Soren, you're both very perceptive. I'd expect nothing less from the deputy commander and the strategist of the Greil Mercenaries. You're quite like Skrimir in that respect.
Titania: Oh my, please don't mention it. So you're Lord Ranulf, King Caineghis's most trusted vassal.
Soren: ...... Even if it's a joke, I recommend you don't lump me and Ike together with those wild beasts.
Titania: Wild beasts...? That was uncalled for, Soren!
Soren: But it's a fact.
He's still quite racist, as far as I can tell. Maybe less so than in PoR; I'm not entirely sure. But he's not truly accepting of laguz, whatever the case.
So, no. RD!Soren is not a friendly person in the slightest unless you're Ike. He's not starting to get over Ike. Although it's fair to assume he might be starting to appreciate the usefulness of being on the good side of influential persons (like, say, Skrimir) more, I don't think he would go out of his way to make friends - which is really my main point. The Soren you see in RD is still very much like the one in PoR, in that he still doesn't think he needs, or will ever need, anybody other than Ike.
I honestly don't believe that he has trouble making friends because he wants them to accept him for who he is (which, given his cold personality, is rather unlikely to ever happen anyway) - instead, my opinion is that he doesn't want any friends other than Ike, and so he continues to, in a sense, push most people away. So this line:
Ranulf: Yeah, I think so. He still doesn't say much, but he's a lot more at ease these days. He used to be completely closed off, rejecting anyone who tried to get close. Like he'd lock himself away, all alone in his own little world.
Is still not suggesting he's actually willing to let others get really close to him - closer than his one and only friend. In Radiant Dawn, he's not as angsty. He doesn't have as many things to brood over. Of course he would seem more at ease. But he's not going to find anyone to replace Ike anytime soon. Or just never.
Even in RD, Soren is very dependent on Ike. Their hidden base conversation should show as much. But the real proof?
Soren: Ike... Please live... Even if all the cities burn, and the seas swallow Tellius... You mustn't die... Not you...
Epilogue: Though his tactical genius was unmatched, Soren never used his talents from anyone but Ike.
He never forgets about Ike. Which makes perfect sense, of course - Ike means the world to Soren.
If Ike leaves him, he doesn't just "get over" it. If anything, it would make him more closed off than ever before. So: no. I completely disagree with interpreting Ike and Soren's relationship as a completely "normal" friendship. Dependency coupled with a very deep friendship? Yes, most definitely. Romance? Sure, that works too. But Soren's dependency issues are central to his character - they can't just be disregarded.
(lol this almost got ship manifesto-ish at the end
... I want an Ike/Soren ship manifesto. Baww ;_; I'm not writing that others are a lot more qualified)
Okay so I really wish I could just reply to that tumblr post with this, but the age-old forum rule of "no bumping" means I've learned never to reply to old things. ... and I don't even have a tumblr account, anyway.
Edit: ah. Looking over this now, it's really rambly and incoherent. That's what I get for posting stuff at 3 AM. (Maybe I should make a seperate tag for that. "rambly incoherent rant, don't bother reading")
My least favorite interpretation? Whiny, weepy uke. Yeah, it's actually still quite common - but moreso in the Japanese fandom than in the English one, it seems? Which is actually quite interesting; interpreting Japanese!Soren in that way isn't quite as surprising to me, as some of his more biting remarks were really just "..."s in Japanese, he uses rather polite language, he even stammers in front of Ike several times, and responds to practically all orders he gets from him with a "hai" (which is more "yes, sir" than just a casual "yes"; so it does come off as a little submissive).
And then you get lots of fan art of Girl!Soren or Maid!Soren or whatever. But speech patterns and such aside, it's still not that much of an excuse for this kind of interpretation. A lot of it most likely has to do with what the player imagines him to look and sound like - the first one is a little odd, since you'd expect people to, you know, assume that he just looks the way he does in-game, or in the official art. Looking over most fan art sites, this is clearly not the case, since he's often (very often) portrayed as a lot more feminine-looking. Or just drawn as a girl outright, further driving home the point that he's being interpreted as girly, and therefore, a stereotypical uke.
Which, no matter how I look at it, just can't be right. He's calm, cold, and analytical, and a very pragmatic person. A loner, for the most part, and a tactician. He's snarky and sarcastic. How many of these traits sound like traditionally feminine characteristics? None. I can only really conclude that the portrayal of Soren as an uke is because fans have a tendency to overlook his character as a whole, instead choosing to only focus on certain aspects of it.
But there's yet another interpretation I need to address: that of Soren as a person who, given just a little bit of development, would be willing and ready to move on from Ike.
This one is a bit odd, because it's not quite as common. Since I'm not very good at summing up things, I'm going to attempt to explain this a little more in-depth. As far as I can tell, it, in essence, says RD!Soren is no longer dependent on Ike, has learned how to open up to others, and would actually be perfectly willing to accept his leaving Tellius to go on a journey, be it alone or with Ranulf.
I strongly disagree with this sentiment as well.
There's a base conversation that mentions how Soren has changed, where Titania and Ranulf seem to hint that he might be starting to open up more. If anything, I'd say that he comes off as less brooding than in PoR. In FE9, though, he spent a long time worrying about his brand, until he finally admitted to Ike that he was, in fact, a half-breed (telling him about his past beforehand no doubt allowed him to get yet another problem off his chest, which most likely contributed to his character development). Before anyone points out that the Ike/Soren A support didn't necessarily happen in canon, Soren must have told Ike about it at some point, as evidenced by the following conversation in RD:
Micaiah: I thought I was reaching the limit of how long I could stay with him. He grew each and every day, but I remained the same... I didn't want him to be harmed by the curse I lived with. Can you imagine how hard that would have been on him?
Ike: You mean the blood of the laguz?
Micaiah: So you knew. Did you find out from the boy who's always beside you?
Ike: Soren. Yeah. I guess you both know how to recognize people with a similar nature.
In addition, it's obvious Soren doesn't feel as ashamed of his heritage in RD as in PoR. When he speaks to Micaiah, he openly admits to being Branded and doesn't attempt to hide it in the slightest - which is quite different from how he acted in his supports with Stefan in FE9. My opinion? Soren was never truly ashamed of his heritage, per se. He wasn't scared of what people other than Ike would think of him; as always, the only thing he truly cared about was that Ike wouldn't reject him after learning about it. Which is also why he's scared of actually doing anything when Nasir confronts him about his brand. He doesn't want Ike to know, and nobody else really matters.
But once it turned out that Ike was perfectly fine with it, Soren didn't have much of a reason to hide his heritage anymore. Considering that these rather heavy weights were lifted off of his shoulders, I'd say it's fair to assume he would appear more at ease in RD. This is what I believe Titania and Ranulf are referring to - not that he's necessarily starting to develop real people skills of his own free will because he'd like to get to know others better, but that he's not as prone to brooding anymore. From Ranulf and Titania's point of view, this could probably be seen as him starting to come out of his shell, true. But I don't think it's implying much more than that.
On a somewhat related note, I also object to the idea that Soren completely gets over his hatred of laguz in FE10. Nope; although I suppose this is somewhat obscure, so it's not really a surprising interpretation given the dialogue in the English version of the game. In the Japanese extended hard mode dialogue, however, there's this little bit (translation courtesy of SF, by the way):
Ranulf: Lady Titania, Soren, you're both very perceptive. I'd expect nothing less from the deputy commander and the strategist of the Greil Mercenaries. You're quite like Skrimir in that respect.
Titania: Oh my, please don't mention it. So you're Lord Ranulf, King Caineghis's most trusted vassal.
Soren: ...... Even if it's a joke, I recommend you don't lump me and Ike together with those wild beasts.
Titania: Wild beasts...? That was uncalled for, Soren!
Soren: But it's a fact.
He's still quite racist, as far as I can tell. Maybe less so than in PoR; I'm not entirely sure. But he's not truly accepting of laguz, whatever the case.
So, no. RD!Soren is not a friendly person in the slightest unless you're Ike. He's not starting to get over Ike. Although it's fair to assume he might be starting to appreciate the usefulness of being on the good side of influential persons (like, say, Skrimir) more, I don't think he would go out of his way to make friends - which is really my main point. The Soren you see in RD is still very much like the one in PoR, in that he still doesn't think he needs, or will ever need, anybody other than Ike.
I honestly don't believe that he has trouble making friends because he wants them to accept him for who he is (which, given his cold personality, is rather unlikely to ever happen anyway) - instead, my opinion is that he doesn't want any friends other than Ike, and so he continues to, in a sense, push most people away. So this line:
Ranulf: Yeah, I think so. He still doesn't say much, but he's a lot more at ease these days. He used to be completely closed off, rejecting anyone who tried to get close. Like he'd lock himself away, all alone in his own little world.
Is still not suggesting he's actually willing to let others get really close to him - closer than his one and only friend. In Radiant Dawn, he's not as angsty. He doesn't have as many things to brood over. Of course he would seem more at ease. But he's not going to find anyone to replace Ike anytime soon. Or just never.
Even in RD, Soren is very dependent on Ike. Their hidden base conversation should show as much. But the real proof?
Soren: Ike... Please live... Even if all the cities burn, and the seas swallow Tellius... You mustn't die... Not you...
Epilogue: Though his tactical genius was unmatched, Soren never used his talents from anyone but Ike.
He never forgets about Ike. Which makes perfect sense, of course - Ike means the world to Soren.
If Ike leaves him, he doesn't just "get over" it. If anything, it would make him more closed off than ever before. So: no. I completely disagree with interpreting Ike and Soren's relationship as a completely "normal" friendship. Dependency coupled with a very deep friendship? Yes, most definitely. Romance? Sure, that works too. But Soren's dependency issues are central to his character - they can't just be disregarded.
(lol this almost got ship manifesto-ish at the end
... I want an Ike/Soren ship manifesto. Baww ;_; I'm not writing that others are a lot more qualified)
Okay so I really wish I could just reply to that tumblr post with this, but the age-old forum rule of "no bumping" means I've learned never to reply to old things. ... and I don't even have a tumblr account, anyway.
Edit: ah. Looking over this now, it's really rambly and incoherent. That's what I get for posting stuff at 3 AM. (Maybe I should make a seperate tag for that. "rambly incoherent rant, don't bother reading")