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Niqua

 

 

My History with Ike

 

Before I share my story of how I met and fell in love with Ike, it's important to first explore the foundations that opened the doors for me to find this wonderful, heroic man in the first place.

 

Note that this entire passage is a fairly lengthy read. I aim to be thorough in my writings, as the feelings I hold for Ike have formed organically over the many years I’ve known him, and so, there is much to discuss. I intend to be raw and honest with my feelings. As such, some parts may be difficult to read because of the subject matter, but it is what it is, so let’s get to it!

 

 

 

History with Fire Emblem

 

Ever since I was first introduced to the Fire Emblem series back in 2003 with Blazing Blade for the Game Boy Advance, I found myself deeply respecting the games for the world building, the plights of the people within those worlds, and the over all tone the series took. I was captivated by the tales of unrest and suffering within the different societies, and it was fascinating watching the chaos unfold within the difficult relationships of the nobles living up high, verses the poor, and sometimes ignorant masses shuffling along below. I was only 13 at the time, but I developed a profound appreciation for this type of story telling. While it wasn't some deep scientific-like dive into the complexities of society, it respected its audience, and offered narratives with a complicated gray area that caused you to question your sense of morality. At the very least, this is what I've personally gained from my time with the series, and it has inspired me in many creative ways, such and drawing and writing. While Fire Emblem as a whole has shifted significantly from these roots in terms of tone, story telling, and artistic design, (mostly from the Awakening period onward), I will always be grateful for the memories early FE have given me.

 

How I met Ike

 

A fateful meeting with the man who lit my dark soul with Radiant Blue Flames

It was 2005 when Ike’s debut title, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was released. I was 15 at the time, and up to that point, I had thoroughly immersed myself within the universe of Fire Emblem. I was eagerly awaiting Path of Radiance’s release at the time, so much so that I wrote about my excitement in the little journal I carried around. (I still have that journal to this day actually. So nostalgic!) When I was finally able to dive into this new 3D Gamecube Fire Emblem world of Tellius, I can honestly say that that entire experience changed me at a fundamental level.

 

From the very first cut-scene where I met that blue-haired mercenary sparring with his father, I felt an instant connection to him. Obviously, I was too young to recognize or understand what was going through my mind on a deeper level, however, as I learned more about who Ike was while traveling along side him, I saw so much of myself within him. Not only was it like looking through a mirror when observing Ike, there were also significant differences between us which caused me to consider things from other viewpoints. However, this is only one of the many elements that contribute to the abundance of love I feel for the man.

 

 

Warm Family Connections

 

Let’s go back to that first cut-scene. In it, Ike was in the midst of a sparring match with his Father, Greil. The sweet young trainee couldn’t land a single hit on Greil, but that only pushed Ike further to keep coming at his father with everything he had. While Greil effortlessly deflected his son’s sword strikes, Ike stumbled backwards and fell while attempting to dodge. As his father stood over him and said, “Well, Ike, you had enough?”, he didn’t allow himself to become embarrassed or lose his spirit. He just took a moment to recollect himself, and went in for round two. In that moment, I felt immense respect for that young man. I loved that sharp, determined look in his eyes as he slowly sat up. No words needed to be spoken, Ike’s language is that of action. Ike doesn’t waste his energy babbling on, he says what needs to be said, (usually as blunt and raw as he needs to, yet he’s also kind and personable), while backing up his words with action. This is one of the many things that drew me to him initially, as I act in a similar way.

(Honestly, I’ve become far more blunt in my own speech because of Ike!)

 

 

A few moments later, Ike’s younger sister, Mist, came running down the path calling for her brother and father. When Greil turned briefly to greet her, Ike saw an opening and lounged towards his his target! Greil saw that coming 10 miles away though, and whacked poor Ike good, knocking him to the cold forest floor.--He was out like a light afterwards. While I always felt Greil was a bit too hard on Ike then, it was nothing more than tough love, and I respected them both. That short opening scene left a huge impact on me; an impact I still feel all these years later.

 

Up to that point, the main protagonists within the FE series were all of noble birth. Because of this, they were burdened with specific responsibilities that came with the ruling class. In Ike’s case, he was just an average young man; a poor mercenary’s son who wanted nothing more than to be like his father. He wasn’t some great chosen hero, or successor to someone’s throne. Ike was just a quiet, stoic, young man who adored his father, and walked the path of his principles.

 

All of these elements made me feel further connected to the young man. His experience is relatable, and Ike himself is far more down to earth than what I was used to from FE protagonists. More significantly though, the warm and loving relationship Ike had with his father is one of the major elements that initially drew me close to him. I won’t sugarcoat it, my childhood was incredibly traumatic. Home life was very painful, and driven by neglect, That, and the additional psychological stress from having to live with the constant exposure of violence and social abuse/exclusion for being a Black American added further fuel to the chaotic fire.

 

Additionally, I’ve never met my own father. Because of circumstances, even when the man wanted to see me, he was not allowed to, and so, through out my childhood onward, I’ve never once seen his face. I don’t even know if the man is still alive at this point, and there is a heavy hesitation to try and seek him out now in my adult years. All that said, I didn’t understand the impact that this missing element would have on me growing up, and its effected me negatively; as if a part of me is unknown.

 

However, watching Ike and his father interacting in such a warm, loving, and down-to-earth manner captivated me. Through Greil, I began to learn what a father should be like, and through Ike, I learned what it was like to have one. These experiences have stayed with me all these years, and so, when Ike’s father was slain by the Black Knight...I felt as if I had lost my own father a second time…

Though, through that traumatizing loss Ike suffered, and the suffering he endured afterwards, I found that I grew that much closer to him as we moved forward together.

 

 

Ike isn’t “COLOR BLIND” to race.

 

How Ike acknowledges the complications of race relations within Tellius, and actively works to better society.

 

 

Within the continent of Tellius, there exists two races: the Beorc (human), and the Laguz (Human/animal hybrids). There are also those called the “Branded” who were born from one Beorc parent and one Laguz parent.

(There is more to discuss on how these races all came to be. Feel free to read some passages from the Fire Emblem Wiki.)

 

The societies within Tellius are very divided as result of the abusive and violent history the races shared. For centuries, the Beorc kept the Laguz enslaved, and while in recent times slavery had been abolished, affects of this abusive history are still felt within the society each in every day. The aftermath plays out differently from territory to territory in forms or racism, violence, fear, ignorance and even trafficking. Honestly, it’s hard for me to discuss these aspects of Ike’s world, since they mirror far too closely the history of my own people. However, it is because of looking through the mirror of Tellius and all of its racial complications that I have come to truly love Ike as deeply as I do.

 

In my experience, those on the outside, (referring to non-Blacks in my case), are often very dismissive, selfish, and lack the most basic level of empathy when the topic of racism comes about. They will say “Slavery was soooooo long ago! Just get over it!”, or “Slavery wasn’t THAT BAD! Stop complaining!!” And don’t even get me started on: “Stop using slavery as an excuse!! Black people are poor because they DON’T TRY!!” Yes, I understand that there are many young people who are ignorant of the history that say this, but unfortunately, many people much older see the world this way as well. It’s incredible to me how truly oblivious and cruel people can be; never having walked one step in our shoes, (nor will they ever have to), they act as if they are the authority on our experience. People such as this lack the most basic understanding of how the history of societies work.--how the affects of that history carry on through generations.

 

This same ignorant, uncaring attitude is reflected within the Beorc masses of Tellius. That isn’t to say that the Laguz are without their own bigoted states of mind, however the Laguz also have justified resentment and hatred. Sadly, I share this mindset myself...

 

In Ike’s case, he was raised in a rather sheltered way, and had not had direct interaction with the Laguz until his late teens. Because of this, he was very ignorant of the history and culture of the Laguz, and because of his obliviousness, was led into somewhat bigoted ideals. With this example, I’m referring to the conversations Ike had with Shinon. It’s no secret that the bowman had some issues with the Laguz, referring to them with the “sub-human” slur. Some of Shinon’s views rubbed off on Ike which led him to refer to Ranulf, the first personal Laguz introduction he had, as “sub-human”.

 

The was no maliciousness in Ike’s words, he only spoke out of ignorance, and you bet Ranulf set Ike straight right then and there. This was a very important interaction. Not only did Ike get called out on his ignorance, Ranulf also took the time to educate Ike as to why the term “sub-human” shouldn’t be used to refer to a Laguz. Ike took a step back, apologized, then inquired as to what exactly he was supposed to call the Laguz. The point is, Ike used that experience to motivate himself to learn and grow about the people that were different than himself.

 

I will say this right now: I have no words to describe the immense respect and love I have for this man. Keep in mind that when I first saw this scene, I was fairly young at the time. I was only 15, but when I watched this exchange happen between Ike and Ranulf, I felt as if Ike was speaking directly to me.

 

I felt understood.

 

Racism isn’t a “myth”, and it’s also not “all in our heads”. It’s a very real and constant strain on our sense of self, especially while living in America. Not a day goes by that we don’t have to consider how our skin color will affect our experience. Whether it’s a day out shopping, your journey coming home, trying to afford housing, or medicine, or trying to find work, you will always have to consider the barrier of entry having the “wrong” skin color will give you.

 

When Ike did something as simple as closing his mouth and allowed the person different than himself to speak of their experience, didn’t talk over them, didn’t pretend to understand, wasn’t indifferent, just stood there and listened… My heart fully opened up to the man. Ike touched me in a way that no one else has, and from that point on, I wanted to remain by his side always.

 

As I’ve said before, Ike is man of action, and so, he didn’t just sit around after he both heard of and witness the abuse the Laguz dealt with in society. No, get go up and actually did something about it. He stood up to racism whenever he encountered it. He didn’t just stand by and shake his head when he saw racism playing out. No, he got up in their faces and shut them down. He didn’t care who you were-- be it commoner or noble, he’d get up in everyone’s face to shut you down. It isn’t just that Ike calls racism out, he also tries to bring people together. He doesn’t pretend to be “color blind” in order to shield himself from the inequalities of society, Ike tries to build a bridge that can bring all different types of people together under one banner.

 

(He also understands how idiotic people are too. I love this man!)

 

I love Ike to the very core of my heart and soul. It’s because of him that I began to feel value in my brown skin all those years ago. Each day his words help give me clarity to not allow my heart to freeze over in a world as cold, destructive, and uncaring as this. Not a day goes by where I’m not overwhelmed with gratitude, admiration, and love for the mercenary. I am so very fortunate to have had the privilege of meeting Ike after living such a dark existence.

 

 

I could go on and on forever about the many other aspects of Ike that I adore… Like how his voice is so low, calming, and controlled that he lulls me to sleep when he speaks...Or how beautiful his deep blue, sharp, strong, yet gentle eyes are that I could stare into for hours… My heart pounds so fast when I look at him, hear him or even think of him. (As my heart is now in fact) It’s truly amazing how this one man can make me feel so many different emotions like this. It’s something only Ike can do for me.

 

 

All that said, I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing our story. Thank you for taking the time to read it! I have absolutely NO SHAME for my feeling for Ike, or how I live my life. I am happy, I am grateful, I am IN LOVE.