What makes Eridan fans see him as self sacrificing?

[alias_sqbr]

Doing that fandom meme got me thinking about whether there are any topics I avoid purely due to self consciousness about lack of interest, and I realised pure Homestuck meta is about it. So here's something I decided not to post as a reply to someone else's meta on tumblr in case it came out too squee harshing.

So! I don't really like Eridan that much, but I can see why people find him interesting. And while some of his fans like to pretend he is a TOTALLY INNOCENT VICTIM OF MEANIE FEF the ones I'm actually friends with/read the fic of etc are all quite happy to acknowledge his frequent douchey terribleness. I like lots of terrible douches myself, so the fact that they like him doesn't baffle me in principle.

But the post I linked above made me realise what I do find baffling about a chunk of fic and meta from Eridan fans whose understanding of canon seems otherwise relatively consistent with mine: they see him as being willing to be significantly self sacrificing for Feferi.

Seeing him as in love with her, sure (I read his feelings as more shallow, but I see how this interpretation makes sense, and is also necessary for most shipping!) Being willing to put himself out for her to some extent, sure. But willing to die for her? As a central part of his characterisation? This I not only have trouble seeing in canon, but see actively contradicted by canon.

I think he'd like to think of himself as someone who'd die for her, but I don't think he'd actually do it except by accident (eg doing something foolhardy he expected to survive, even if he had a few fantasies about what would happen if he DID die and Fef was heartbroken and sorry) He is too inherently selfish and cowardly.

Eridan isn't just pouty and selfish about her not dating him. I'm too sleepy to dig up examples, but I vaguely recall him being generally thoughtless about the effects his actions have on her in general (and others, of course, but nobody is saying he's self sacrificing in general). And when push came to shove, he was willing to KILL HER rather than back down from his own agenda. The only time I can remember him ever being remotely self sacrificing for her is him killing lusii for her mum, but given that he lists GENOCIDE as a hobby and rivals Gamzee and Vriska in the "enthsuastic murderer" stakes, as well as specifically looking up to and modelling himself after Dualscar Orphaner, that seems like something he'd enjoy doing anyway.

So yes. Am I missing something?

nb I am getting over food poisoning, so will probably be vague and slow with any replies.

EDIT: Thinking about it some more, it feels like people write Eridan as Equius, and write Eridan/Feferi the way I see Equius/Gamzee or Equius/Aradia. There are plenty of creepily devoted male characters in Homestuck but I don't see Eridan as one of them.

Comments

[hebethen]

Nah, I agree. He's not creepily devoted, he's creepy and... devotion-demanding?

[alias_sqbr]

And not even single-mindedly from her!

[cest_what]

I loved that meta when it crossed my dash :) You may be right that Eridan lacks the self-sacrifical impulse, though. I think he's definitely devoted to her, in that I think he built up a really significant part of his identity and self-image in being Feferi's something, the hatched for each other idea. I think that made her the most important thing in his world. But all of his grand gestures that we see are directed outwards, inflicting violence on the world rather than taking anything on himself.

He does give up the realisation of his genocidal daydreams for Feferi, mind you. Yes, he probably enjoys killing lusii, but his biggest and most self-aggrandizing ambition is to wipe out land-dwellers, and he gives that up every time he feeds her lusus, because not doing it would make her sad.

[alias_sqbr]

Wouldn't her lusus kill EVERYONE though? Or is that just the cry that happens during SGRUB?

He does continue with his other genocidal schemes, the doomsday devices etc, and I always like to think he wasn't ENTIRELY sincere about wanting to kill all the land dwellers since he had so many land dweller friends. Maybe I'm the one being too pro Eridan there :) Anyway, it's still quite a leap from "willing to curtail his genocidal impulses" to "willing to sacrifice himself".

[cest_what]

It would kill the lowbloods first! I mean, I think there's a certain amount of self-delusion there, in that he doesn't actually want his friends to die, but we certainly see later that that doesn't stop him from murdering them on a shitty impulse, and I think he could totally have done the same with a true genocidal attempt.

I'd be interested to see what he did if Feferi did ever ask him to sacrifice himself, I guess. I feel like it could go either way. (Not that I think either of them is going to have any significant role in canon going forward, but you know.)