Vvivvisection of Eridan Ampora

An analysis of Eridan Ampora.

This essay was written by CMa Overdensity. Started on September 2023, and published @ cmaoverdensity.neocities.org on December 28th, 2023. Last edited June 13th, 2025.

Homestuck, Hiveswap, and the image above© VIZ Media. This work is a nonprofit educational essay that complies with Subject Matter and Scope of Copyright, 17 U.S.C. § 107 (Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).


Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Personality
  3. Interests and Skills
  4. Relationships
    1. Major Relationships
    2. Minor Relationships
  5. Inspiration and Miscellany
  6. Summary
  7. Citations

Introduction

Eridan Ampora is a character everyone in the Homestuck fandom thinks they understand. He’s a privileged bigot who commits genocide and dies. He does not need to be analysed any deeper than that. But Eridan is so much more than what he seems. His persona is an intentional fabrication and the true Eridan is a lot more
 not likeable, but more sympathetic. I hope this essay shows the complexity behind Eridan’s character that is often overlooked.

This essay only covers the whole of Homestuck. Homestuck^2, Pesterquest, Paradox Space, and any other non-Homestuck materials are excluded. This is not the only Eridan essay I have written. If you would like to learn more about Eridan’s speech patterns in specific, check out Such Vvulgarity!.


Personality

Bigotry and Hypocrisy

As a violetblood and thus part of the ruling class, Eridan sits one step removed from total power on Alternia. However, he believes this isn’t enough.1 He is a hemoist2 who views it as his noble and sworn duty3 to genocide all land-dwellers,4 which he hopes to do through acquiring doomsday weapons5 and loot through FLARP.4 Eridan is concerned about the caste, maintaining his supremacy over the lower castes when he says he and Feferi belong together as the ruling class even if not romantically.6 He also has concern over the “fate of the race and purity of the bloodline”.7 However, given troll reproduction, this is less about direct lineage and more about gene contribution: Eridan believes that he and Vriska would be a strong enough kismessitude to contribute more dominant genes to the slurry.8

However, for all his talk, Eridan has never had much success in committing genocide.4 He blames this on Feferi: it would be easy to provoke Gl'bgolyb into killing the lower castes if he stopped feeding her for a bit, but it would make Feferi upset, and he doesn’t want to deal with “more emotions” and “more problems”.9 Eridan is also not confident in his hemoism, as called out by Feferi, who says he spends so little time underwater and calls his hate of land-dwellers an act, as all his friends are land-dwellers, and that he intentionally fails his plans because he knows its wrong.10 Eridan excuses this with history, as many conquerors got friendly with their enemies, even “growing fond of a few” before killing them all - its “only civilised.” His failure isn’t due to him knowing it’s wrong, and his repeated attempts to cause genocide is him trying to emulate great military masterminds of the past - becoming great through similar perseverance.11

Feferi is right, though. Outside of her, Eridan is only friends with land-dwellers, and is more attached to them than would seem for someone serious about killing them all. He thinks highly of Kanaya, even if she teases him, attempting to give her romantic advice (seeing that she’s in a similar position with Vriska as he is with Feferi) and offers to teach her sarcasm as thanks for training.12 Karkat is another close friend of his, whom he gossips about romance to, has a similar sense of humour to, seeks out for emotional support, and stands up for him when he feels Gamzee isn’t giving adequate support for him.13 And despite their animosity, when Eridan learns that Sollux is dead, Eridan feels bad about having insulted him to Feferi.14

Though Andrew Hussie calls Eridan’s supremacist aspirations to be “in misogynistic rancour”,15 while he is a “nice guy”, he - at least when alive - wasn’t misogynistic. He makes no misogynistic remarks towards any female character. He only kills Feferi and Kanaya when they motion to attack him,16 and dislikes Nepeta because she's a “kittycat shipper cave girl”17 (emphasis mine). However, Eridan, as Erisolsprite, does objectify Feferi by calling her a “rock solid piece of ass” that he shouldn’t have let go, which does come off as misogynistic.18

Quadrant Wwoes

Eridan “never stops working all possible angles to fill his quadrants”, such as trying to leverage Kanaya into an auspistism while attempting to get her to connect him with Vriska.1 However, despite his effort, he struggles to fill his quadrants, starting out with one and dying with none. Eridan’s desperation, though the reason isn’t known, may come from Alternian views on romance, as well as a fear of death.

Trolls believe that each quadrant is destined to have one or two specific trolls in it, filled serendipitously. However, adult trolls who do not have a matesprit and kismesis, and thus cannot fill their filial pails, are killed by the imperial drones.2 As the Condesce doesn’t care if a few violetbloods die,3 despite their high rank in the caste, Eridan may realise that his blood-born privilege won’t save him in this matter. Even though Eridan is nowhere near troll maturity, it is likely he feels this pressure regardless, and feels a need to secure his quadrants to prevent an unavoidable death.

Red

Eridan lacks bravado in matespritship. He avoids discussing his feelings with Feferi, his red crush, only to tell her after they both enter the Medium. He’s unsure of if he will actually go through with confessing his feelings at all.4 When he does, he’s hesitant, asking if she would be interested in “the possibility of some other type of arrangement”, something “a bit more / kinda reddish / like / bright red”.5 When Feferi breaks up with him as moirail and refuses his red advances, Eridan panics, prematurely cutting off his messages, dropping his typing quirk to show his seriousness, tells her to reconsider, and begs her to not leave him.6

Outside of Feferi, Eridan has attempted to red flirt with Nepeta, believing she would give him a chance after saving her life as her server player. Afterwards, though so desperate for anyone that he would even take the “kittycat shipper cave girl”, he tells Karkat he’s over her.7 He has also attempted to flirt with Jade, though denies it and tells her to not get distracted by her “sad league of suitors and their flushed desperations”.8 As Erisolsprite, he’s more vocally inconsiderate of his potential matesprit’s feelings, telling Jake that if he already has a “hot piece of ass” tied down, he shouldn’t “tug the knot loose and shove the fucker off with the heel of your boot.9

Black

Eridan is a “hopeless romantic” in the black quadrant.10 He desperately wants to get back with Vriska, a relationship with which imitated their ancestors, and which fell apart due to a mismatch in interest: Eridan loved her more than Vriska loved him.11 After their breakup, Eridan tries to get Kanaya to get in contact with her despite him being blocked by her, and is clueless over why the breakup even occurred as he thought they had good chemistry.12 He eventually figures that she got bored of him.13 When they meet on the meteor, despite his awkwardness, Eridan tells her he’s over her and that he’s got a new kismesis.14

This new kismesis is Rose, who provides a window into how Eridan behaves in a black relationship. He gives her backhanded compliments, a fake noble title, and continually calls her magic fake. He interprets her own insults towards him as romantic reciprocation, even as she blows up his computer. Eridan denies his feelings for Rose when Jade asks, ranting about how he’s over her, despite pestering Kanaya for her secrets later. He attempts to help Jade in her supposed rivalry with Rose, which may have been a flirt towards either.15

Eridan’s feelings towards Sollux are unclear, and can be read as platonic or romantic. He insults him, duelling him twice.16 He attempts to get both Terezi and Feferi to auspistise between them, denying that he is to the latter.17 Given Erisolsprite’s regret over confessing his feelings to Feferi,9 Eridan’s attempted rivalry with Sollux is likely a ploy to get Feferi into any quadrant with him.

Pale

Eridan has a poor view of moirallegience, saying he’s stuck in the exhausting, problem-causing “moirail zone” with Feferi due to not defining himself as a red partner soon enough.18 Eridan is thus a poor pale partner. Hussie describes their relationship as “total shit” and something Eridan only puts up with to stay in her good graces.19 He refuses to talk about his feelings with Feferi, preferring to go to Karkat instead. Despite telling her that they’re fated moirails, it’s implied he only stayed moirails with her because it might have led to something more.20

Ashen

The ashen quadrant is a quadrant Eridan uses to covertly pull others into a quadrant with him. He attempts this with Kanaya between him and Vriska, and both Terezi and Feferi between him and Sollux. Feferi calls this the “oldest and lamest trick in the book”.21

Reaction to Advances

When the tables are turned and Eridan thinks he’s being flirted with without having flirted first, Eridan is confused. He’s flustered by Kanaya’s teasing that Feferi is “as deep in the flushed quadrant as one can be”, demanding proof as he knows she likes to tease.22 When he thinks Karkat is black flirting with him, he originally interprets it as “flippant and ironic”, though believes Karkat is being “cagey” about his feelings.23 In the dream bubbles, an Eridan is hit on by a Cronus, and despite his disgust, Eridan consents to going on a date with him.24

Reaction to Rejection

Eridan is bad with rejection. When Vriska blocks him, he attempts to force Kanaya to contact her despite her telling him no. Feferi breaking up with him sends him into desperation and anger, needing Karkat to help him deal with his feelings. He doesn’t interpret Rose blowing up his computer as a rejection, and continues to pester Kanaya over her.25

After being rejected, Eridan denies he still has feelings, even if he does. He tells Vriska he has a new kismesis, Jade that Rose isn’t worth his rivalry, and Karkat that he’s over the embarrassment of Nepeta rejecting him.26

Dualscar and Eridan’s Persona

Eridan carefully models his persona on history’s most legendary conquerors, maintaining the facade through “exaggerated emotional theatrics”.1 Image is important to Eridan, not only because he is crafting a persona, but because he warns Kanaya that she should also be more careful about how she comes off, as his own inability to do so ruined his chances with Feferi.2 The Eridan that Eridan wants people to think he is explicitly isn’t who he is.

While who his persona is based on is vague, his ancestor, Orphaner Dualscar is likely the biggest inspiration. Dualscar’s personality and achievements are not elaborated on much, though there is enough information about him to draw a connection between him and Eridan. Dualscar, like Eridan, was Orphaner for the Condesce, Feferi’s ancestor, whom he had unrequited red feelings for - though she would never know his name.3 He was kismeses with Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, Vriska’s ancestor, though their relationship was also rocky, with Mindfang wondering if Dualscar’s feelings ran more red than black.4 Dualscar himself is a hemoist, disgusted with Mindfang’s romance with a slave without knowing her blood colour, killing said slave due to her red feelings for her.5 He turns her in to the Grand Highblood to ensure no one else could compete with his black affections, but is killed by him for not providing good entertainment, as Mindfang notes his sense of humour was “dreadful”.6 Cronus, being Dualscar’s pre-scratch counterpart, could also provide personality clues, making Dualscar desperate, disrespectful of boundaries, and egotistical.7 Caligula, the Roman ruler, may also factor into his personality, as Hussie notes that, though Eridan doesn’t live up to the perverse tyrant’s image, he “certainly would like to.”8 Eridan’s emulation of Dualscar and other conquerors is “dubious”, as his hemoism is undercut by his genuine friendships with land-dwellers.9

As a highblood, Eridan believes that not only does he share most of his genes with Dualscar, but his fate is tied with his as well.11 Eridan believes he must continue Dualscar’s legacy, though is unable to seek more information about him under threat of execution, and so is likely interpreting his legacy only through the historical record and possibly Mindfang’s journal.12 However, unlike Vriska, who joyfully takes up the work of her own ancestor, Eridan is resigned to this fate. As soon as he receives a new destiny as Prince of Hope, he rejects his “old crappy” destiny because he “never got any appreciation for it”, and fully throws himself into the role, deciding that he is the sole arbiter of determining when hope is lost.13

Overemotional Sappy Trash

Hussie describes Eridan as being either “wrathfully incredulous” and being a “huge martyr”. His indignance, feelings from being rejected, and his perceived lack of respect “fuel his feeling of martyrdom”.1 While Eridan displays no self-sacrificial behaviours, he believes he alone suffers more than others, being wwoefully misunderstood.2 He dismisses his feelings, calling them stupid, meaningless, petty, overwrought, and overemotional.3

He is especially insecure in love. He assumes that Vriska left him because he wasn’t “as good as an adversary” as he thought and that she was bored of him, calling himself an idiot for believing that she would fall for his ploy to meet up with her.4 He avoids confessing his feelings to Feferi, and when he does, he hedges and stumbles over his words, never directly asking her to be his matesprit but merely enter into “some other kind of arrangement” that is “kinda reddish”. When she breaks up with him, he drops his self-identified “weird” accent and says she can’t throw him away because she’s “sick” of him. Eridan then beats himself up, saying he knew she would reject him, calling himself the “biggest idiot who ever lived”, a “chump”, “one sad fucking brinesucker”, and “worse than anybody”.5 Eridan may be insulting himself when he tells Jade to not worry about her “sad league of suitors and their flushed desperations” given that he’s flirted with her before.6

Eridan is painfully lonely, especially once he enters the Medium, begging for “anybody at all” to visit him on his planet, not grasping that it’s his fault why no one can come - and why he can’t leave. He attempts to invite Karkat over, explicitly stating that he is lonely.7 In the dream bubbles, even though he calls Cronus “trash”, he consents to going on a date with him.8

Erisolsprite is openly self-hating, combining Eridan and Sollux’s hate of each other and themselves into one. He tells Jake that he’s not a “good person with a good heart” and deserves punishment for the “evil terrible things” he’s done, such as the “scurrilous” murder of Feferi - he ought to have been above killing her at all.9

The Science of Hope

Eridan likes magic, owning many wands and wizard statues, but is quick to remind everyone that he thinks magic is fake.1 He hides his wands, first in a fridge and then somewhere on the meteor, saying he has the “upright basic decency” to do so.2 When Rose shows him real magic, he denies it, calling it “something else outright entirely”, though is desperate to learn more.3 Despite seeing that it is real, Eridan refuses to call magic real, instead viewing it as science, likely because Rose sarcastically described her wands as “science” wands. Eridan is emphatic on calling his magic, which is real, science, as he separates himself from Rose’s “fraudulent magics”.4 Eridan’s delusion is part of his power as Prince of Hope: the more he has faith in his powers, the more powerful they become, regardless of if he accepts that what he’s doing is magic.5

Eridan says he doesn’t believe in fate,6 but he is lying. He is preoccupied with fulfilling his destiny, whether it’s as Dualscar’s descendent or as Prince of Hope, and believes in the serendipity of the quadrants.7


Interests and Skills

Eridan likes military history and makes reference to it in dialogue.1 While calling magic “fun” and collecting wizard statues and wands, he insists magic isn’t real.2

Eridan’s strife specibus starts as riflekind and switches to wandkind.3 Ahab’s Crosshairs, a rifle belonging to Dualscar, was his primary weapon, which he used to hunt lusus and attack both other trolls and angels.4 As Eridan could hold his own against the “FAST and ANGRY as SHIT” angels on his planets requiring a minute of sustained fire from Ahab’s Crosshairs to kill,5 it can be assumed he is competent at using rifles as weapons. The wand he later uses was made by Kanaya.6

Before the game started, Eridan worked as Orphaner for Feferi, hunting lusus to feed to Gl’bgolyb. He used to do this with Vriska as part of FLARP, who would feed the freshly-orphaned trolls to her own lusus.7


Relationships

Major Relationships

Captor, Sollux

Eridan may have a one-sided black crush on Sollux. He calls him a “drama machine” and “pathetic”, threatening him and saying that he blocks out the talk of “filth” whose blood colour is “practically the complementary fucking colour” of his own.1 They duel twice, one on Sollux’s planet, and once on the meteor, where he knocks Sollux out.2

Sollux is completely disinterested in Eridan’s black advances.3 On the meteor, he mocks him until he becomes a real threat - then he admits he wishes he killed him during their first duel.4 As Erisolsprite, Sollux is disgusted by Eridan, calling his romantic advice “sociopathic”.5 On Vriska’s ship, he complains about part of him being sprited with Eridan, and when John asks who Eridan is, he says he’s the “douche” that blinded him. If Eridan was on Vriska’s ship, Sollux would kill himself.6

Lalonde, Rose

Eridan has “serious” black feelings towards Rose.7 He insults her magic, but backpedals to compliment her on her persona and assumed nobility, being sympathetic to her having noble blood that went unrecognised. He offers to teach her what kismessitude is like, saying there’s a “fate thing” going on between them, in exchange for her teaching him magic.8 He doesn’t get the hint even after she explodes her computer,9 and pesters Kanaya for Rose’s “secrets”.10

Rose is insulted by Eridan’s implication that she’s trying to look like a cartoon villain and calls him an idiot. She rejects his advances, but leads him on for long enough to explode his computer.11 As Jasprosesprite^2, she calls him a “charlatan”, “hiss[es]” on his grave, and tells Nepetasprite that it’s not a shame that he’s dead.12

Maryam, Kanaya

When Kanaya asks him why she would ever help him genocide her own race, Eridan says it would be “unconscionable” to kill her - what kind of friend would he be if he did that? He attempts to give her romantic advice. Eridan trusts her advice, even if he doesn’t listen to it, saying the only person she lies to is herself.13 He thanks her for “training” him, saying all he needed was for someone to have faith in him, and offers to teach her sarcasm in return for having made his wand.14 However, he tries to force her to help him contact Vriska.15 Hussie’s commentary points out that Eridan may be trying to get Kanaya to auspistise between him and Vriska - having essentially called Kanaya an ashen whore - as a way to get in any quadrant with Vriska.16 On the meteor, he destroys the Matriorb and kills Kanaya.17

Kanaya puts up with Eridan, feeling like he takes her help for granted, calls him overbearing, says that listening to him is laborious, Feferi has to be patient to deal with him, and would block him if his insults weren’t so predictable. The only reason she’s not blocked him is because his insults are so predictable, calling him out on his bigotry. She likes to tease him, including mocking his accent.18 On the meteor, she tells Rose that he has a “royalty complex” and that her “training” of him was a joke.19 After he kills her, she comes back to life as a rainbow drinker and kills him.20

Peixes, Feferi

Eridan is Feferi’s moirail but has a red crush on her.21 He avoids talking about his feelings with her because he wants something more.22 He knows she doesn’t understand his perspective on politics, with narration remarking that he finds conversations with her “emotionally exhausting” with too many “feelings and problems”.23 Though it would be easy to kill all the land-dwellers, Eridan holds off as he doesn’t want to make her upset.24 He is concerned about her safety getting into the Medium and thanks her for her help in getting him in the Medium as well.25 Eridan wants Feferi to join him and Jack because he cares about her, using fish puns as a way to convince her.26 However, when she breaks up with him, he’s distraught, begging her to reconsider while also angrily telling her that he didn’t need her to look out for him.27 Even after their breakup, he’s still trying to get together with her, saying that if they can’t be together romantically - which he emphasises he understands - they should be together as the ruling class.28 On the meteor, after killing Sollux, he kills Feferi when she attacks him.29 As Erisolsprite, he calls her a “rock solid piece of ass”.30 He apologises to Feferi while she’s sprited with Nepeta, calling killing her “scurrilous”.31

Feferi is exhausted by Eridan, calling him “high maintenance” as she tries and fails to get him to engage in pale activities with her.32 She doesn’t agree with his politics and points out his hypocrisy, though comforts him when he vents about Vriska.33 When she breaks up with him, she lays into him, saying that he never stops “carping”, going overboard with his emotions and always looking for drama. Despite saying they will still be friends after the breakup, Feferi is freed by it.34 Feferi calls Eridan trying to get her to auspistise between him and Sollux the “oldest trick in the book,” and when he wants her to join him and Jack, she calls him insane and cowardly, and that it’s sad she has to stop him.35

Serket, Vriska

Eridan used to be Vriska’s kismesis, trading FLARP loot between each other.36 Hussie says they were mutually using each other, but Eridan hoped Vriska felt something more.37 He believes they had good chemistry and were a good genetic match, but doesn’t understand why the relationship failed - assuming she got “bored shitless” of him. Eridan tries, both through Kanaya and by asking for a doomsday device, to contact Vriska despite being blocked, and for the latter, believs she was simply playing along.38 When they finally meet on the meteor, however, he’s awkward, with Eridan saying they had a “good thing” and asking where she’ll find another kismesis like him. He gets defensive when she says it ran its course, saying the relationship he’s working on (with Rose) will make their kismessitude look like a “kidde game”.39

Vriska boasts that she “owned” Eridan all the time at FLARP.40 Hussie says Vriska’s relationship with Eridan was a “scam of convenience” more than genuine interest, and that it was mostly in Eridan’s mind.41 She is more preoccupied with preparing for the game than bothering with him.42 When she meets him on the meteor, she is awkward, though says their relationship was fun while it lasted, and sarcastically wishes him luck in his relationship with Rose.43 However, Vriska is disappointed that Gamzee made it impossible for her to revive Eridan, saying he would have a great time with her. She prefers her universe’s Eridan to any Eridan in the dreambubbles, calling them a “bunch of pretenders”.44 When Terezi and she are deciding who to revive, Vriska opts to not revive him, nor any other dead troll, as she would like to use the extra kernels as resurrection options.45

Vantas, Karkat

Karkat is Eridan’s “nubby horned bro” and romantic gossip partner whom Hussie states he “spills his feelings” to.46 Eridan seeks him out when he’s distressed to vent to him, but offers to reciprocate when thinks Karkat needs it.47 He can always depend on Karkat for his “ironic repartee” and says it’s easy to lose track of time when they talk. When Karkat wants him dead, Eridan interprets it as flirtation, and is confused by Karkat’s intentions.48

Despite sniping at him, Karkat gently tells Eridan that his memos are not the right place to ask for help, and that he’ll get in touch with him later.48 He tries to get Eridan to see how he’s causing his own loneliness and tells him to not blame himself for Nepeta rejecting him.49 After Eridan kills Feferi and Kanaya, he asks Equius to kill him if he sees him.50 Karkat tells him their “pact” is over and is disgusted by both the implication he is flirting with him and the possibility Eridan is flirting back.51 He later tells Meenah that he didn’t think it was possible for someone to be “more of a shitbag” than Eridan, but Cronus is worse than him.52

Minor Relationships


Inspirations and Miscellany

Inspirations

Eridan is based on the Aquarius astrological sign. Hussie found it confusing that Aquarius was an air sign despite its associations with water. This was incorporated into violetblood themes, being both aquatic and aerial.1 Eridan’s being in the Prince class may be a reference to Ganymede, the prince depicted in the constellation.2

caligulasAquarium comes from two inspirations. Hussie has said that the “aquarium” part of his handle is the sky, as Eridan views the sky to be a “sort of hunting ground”, while Caligula is a “historical blueprint” for Eridan whom he aspires to, even if he misses the mark.3

Though Eridan has never interacted with Dave, Hussie noted that Eridan takes character cues from him, such as speech patterns,★ edgy personae, and “shitty” objects (broken swords and wands) that symbolise what they need to overcome.4

Eridan is associated with Harry Potter, specifically the title character himself, as Hussie calls him “Troll Harry Potter”. They are similar in that they are both British(-coded), connected to magic, and associated with lightning. Cronus, his dancestor, continues this theme by being foretold to fight an evil wizard whose name was too dangerous to say, whose spirit was sealed in a “series of unassuming vessels”, and Cronus’ battle with giving him his scar - a clear parallel between Harry and Voldemort.5

Hussie has described Eridan as a hipster.6

Miscellany

Eridan’s lusus - a seahorse lusus capable of flight - may be called a “skyhorse”. Hussie referred to his lusus as “seahorse dad”. They also have stated that most, if not all, lusus belonging to violetbloods can fly.7

Eridan’s hive is a shipwreck on an island in the ocean. Hussie notes that, when it was operational, Eridan did sail it, but either can’t or hasn’t tried to fix it.8


Summary

Eridan Ampora is a violetblooded troll, part of the Alterian ruling class, and believes that ruling is not enough, and wishes to exterminate all land-dwellers by means of doomsday devices and loot from FLARP. Despite his hemoism, he cares too much about his land-dwelling friends to truly commit, and though he could easily achieve total land-dweller genocide, he elects not to - for Feferi’s sake, he tells himself.

Eridan never stops working all possible angles to fill his quadrants. He believes, like most other trolls, that whoever fills each quadrant is ordained by fate. His royal privilege will not prevent him from being killed if he doesn’t have his red and black quadrants filled, so his desperation to fill them might be due to that. Eridan is anxious in red romance, a hopeless romantic in black romance, disdainful towards the pale quadrant, and uses the ashen quadrant as a means to get trolls into any quadrant with him. He gets flustered if he thinks someone is romantically into him and reacts poorly to rejection, though he insists he’s always so over whoever rejects him.

Eridan inhabits a persona based on historic conquerors which he maintains through emotional theatrics. Dualscar, Eridan’s ancestor, might be the biggest influence on his persona, as Eridan imitates his romances with Feferi and Vriska’s ancestors and retains his hemoism. However, Eridan feels bound to Dualscar’s legacy, and abandons it the moment he can become the Prince of Hope - another destiny to blindly follow, though a destiny he has some control over.

Eridan feels like a martyr due to being rejected and disrespected. He feels misunderstood and is often lonely. Eridan dismisses his feelings in conversation, calling them stupid and meaningless, and himself overemotional. In love, he is especially insecure, stumbling over his words in trying to confess to Feferi and never actually directly asking her to be his matesprit. He assumes she’s sick of him, much like how he assumes Vriska got bored of him. As Erisolsprite, he’s openly self-hating and regretful of killing Feferi.

Eridan likes magic, though he will always tell you it is fake. He finds his interest in magic shameful enough to hide. When met with real magic, he refuses to see it as magic, instead calling it “science”. Eridan’s power as Prince of Hope is predicated on his own beliefs; it doesn’t matter if he calls his powers magic or science, what matters is that he believes he has that power. Eridan says he doesn’t believe in fate, but clearly does.

Eridan is interested in military history and starts the game with a riflekind specibus, using Dualscar’s old weapon, Ahab’s Crosshairs. Partway through the game, he switches to wandkind, using the wand Kanaya made him. Before the game, he was Orphaner for Feferi, killing lusus to feed to Gl’bgolyb.

Eridan’s relationship to Sollux is mutually antagonistic, though Eridan is the only one with any black feelings. He black flirts with Rose and doesn’t get the hint when she explodes his computer. He thinks highly of Kanaya, though that isn’t returned. Eridan has a red crush on his moirail Feferi that he gets rejected for because he exhausts her too much. Vriska was his ex-kismesis, Eridan not understanding why they broke up and trying to get back with her, while Vriska used him the entire relationship. Karkat is one of Eridan’s real friends, both of them bonding over romance gossip and providing mutual emotional support.

Eridan doesn’t like his dancestor, Cronus, much, though goes on a date with him. He attempts to flirt with Jade but is rejected. He demeans Nepeta despite having hit on her, and Nepeta thinks he’s kind of a jerk. Eridan dislikes Gamzee but Gamzee does try to help him calm down. He tries to rope Terezi into auspistising between him and Sollux, and while she’s flattered, she later calls him a “murderous douche” not deserving of being revived. Equius is uncomfortable with his advances.

Eridan is based on the Aquarius constellation, Caligula, Dave Strider, Harry Potter, and hipsters. He is symbolically associated with lightning. Eridan’s lusus is a skyhorse - a seahorse lusus that can fly. His hive is a shipwreck that used to be mobile.


Citations