Rufio


 * Not to be confused with Rufioh Nitram

Rufio is Tavros Nitram's personified self-esteem and imaginary best friend, but nothing more. Vriska Serket likes to remind him that Rufio is fake on a very frequent basis.

In the 1991 (Earth) movie Hook, Rufio, played by actor Dante Basco, is the leader of the Lost Boys while Peter Pan is away. In Homestuck, Tavros expresses wishes he was "Pupa Pan", a character obviously reminiscent of Peter Pan, making the connection of Rufio and Tavros clearer. It is unknown if an Alternian equivalent of Hook in particular exists, however.

It was revealed much later that a human equivalent of Rufio had been on a long adventure with Andrew Hussie. Lil' Cal apparently had sold out Hussie and Rufio to join Captain Hook some time during this adventure. The moment the narrative joined their quest, however, Rufio was stabbed through the chest by Hook, mirroring the climax of the movie Hook. Though Hussie moved quickly in an attempt to HS 5289 (revive him), Rufio had no dream self and the kiss was deemed STUPID.

Tavros's Ancestor was thereafter revealed by Vriska reading through her Ancestor's old journal. He was a powerful psychic troll that communed with animals far and wide, known only as The Summoner. The Summoner sports a pompous hairstyle with red streaks in it, clearly based on Rufio's, as well as wings that allow him to fly, similar to the Lost Boys of Neverland. His pre-Scratch counterpart happens to be named Rufioh, and types like Dante Basco does on. Upon Vriska meeting him, she quips to Tavros that she was still right about Rufio being fake because he didn't "spell it right".

Real Life
Dante Basco, who has voice acted for the cartoons Avatar: The Last Airbender and American Dragon: Jake Long since Hook, became an avid Homestuck reader since joining the social media platform tumblr. Homestuck fans quickly informed him about Rufio's role as a character in Homestuck, causing him to take a look into the series.

Andrew Hussie reacted sporadically to this surprising news and temporarily added the message to the navigation bar to ensure he was welcome and encourage him to keep reading. Dante and Hussie have since become decently close online friends, attracted to each others' personalities. Upon reaching the milestone of human Rufio's appearance in Homestuck, Hussie one of Dante's incredibly confused reactions to the absurd scene. He did not, however, charge him.