- For the Orphaner version of this character, see Dualscar.
Cronus Ampora is a violet blooded troll who lived on Beforus shortly before he and the rest of his session caused the Reckoning.[1]
He is the Bard of Hope and the dancestor of Eridan Ampora.
Concept and creation
Cronus is the worst character in Homestuck “by a nautical mile.”[2] He borrows his title of Bard from Gamzee Makara; Gamzee's dancestor Kurloz Makara likewise borrows his Prince title from Cronus' dancestor Eridan.
Cronus' character is in many ways an exaggerated caricature of Eridan's negative traits. In this regard, Cronus serves to highlight how portrayals of Eridan in the fandom can be inaccurate; his "nyeh" catchphrase being just one example. He parodies the hipster and "nice guy" archetypes often associated with Eridan, and his lightning-bolt shaped scars and self-appointed "destiny" to defeat an evil magician who tried to strike him down in youth (and whose name cannot be said out of fear for the danger it possesses) both reference the eponymous character of the Harry Potter franchise, who Eridan has frequently been compared to for his sense of dress and (dis)interest in magic.[citation needed]
His scars are the source of his post-scratch name, "Dualscar". While fellow sea dweller Meenah Peixes wears a black shirt with a blood-colored sign printed on it, referencing Meenah's post-scratch influence on Alternia, Cronus' shirt is instead white with a colored symbol on it, mirroring the colors typically worn by human characters in their first appearances and referencing his identification with humanity.
His identity may be an allusion to The Little Mermaid, in which a young mermaid rejects her nature as a sea dweller and wants to become human instead.
Etymology
Cronus was a name suggested by Toby Fox for Eridan. It refers to the ruler of the Titans of Greek Mythology - Cronus lends his Roman name Saturn to the planet ruling the sign of Aquarius. Cronus was also sometimes considered a god with dominion over time, referencing Cronus' destiny to defeat the Lord of Time.
Biography
Aranea Serket exposits much of Cronus' history to Meenah:
- “The 8ard of Hope may seem a little jaded these days, 8ut once he had a deeply abiding faith in magic, and dedicated himself to 8ecoming a great wizard. He 8ecame convinced he was hatched to defeat an extraordinarily evil magician, one he swore the angels foretold of. Though when pressed for the name of the man, he would not say it, claiming it was too dangerous to even enunciate. Part of his self-aggrandizing mythos was that this magician once somehow from afar tried to strike him down at a young age, so he would never have to face him. But the evil spell was deflected, sealing the magician's spirit away in a series of unassuming vessels until he could find some other cunning way to enter our universe. The attack supposedly left him with his distinctive scar. 8ut at some point he became disillusioned with magic. Any truth to his far fetched vision, the legacy of defeating the evil magician would have to 8e passed on to his descendant, or if his descendant proved to be as much of a failure as he did, then perhaps on some other Hero of Hope. I'm unsure why he suffered this crisis of faith, aside from the obvious reasons having to do with an overall lack of character, or any other redeeming qualities. Perhaps someone talked him out of his 8eliefs. Maybe a friend close to him. Or, if one is to 8elieve his fantasy held any water, perhaps someone who was in league with the evil magician.”
Personality and traits
Cronus considers himself to be a “1950s-style human greaser”[3], and like fellow Beforan troll Horuss Zahhak is a form of otherkin, referring to himself as “humankin”.[4]
Cronus has very possibly feigned issues with species identity and used suicidal threats in attempts to garner the attention of his peers, to no avail, as shown in his interactions with Mituna Captor, Meenah, and later Eridan. He is also a hopeless flirt, often encroaching on personal space boundaries. He can also be incredibly rude on the occasion, to the extent that even Meenah thinks he is a douchebag. He attempts to come off as a kind and caring person who doesn't care about his blood color, though it's very clear that's just a facade he puts on to try and hit on people, which is especially clear whenever he talks to Mituna.
He tends to not light his cigarettes, because “burning it seems like a vwaste of a perfectly good and cool "cigarette."”[5] This is possibly a reference to the John Green book The Fault in Our Stars, a line from which, about a character putting cigarettes in his mouth and refusing to light them, became a popular meme.[citation needed]
He likes to make music.[citation needed]
Relationships
Like his dancestor Eridan, Cronus is shown to be unlucky in love. He has hit on Meenah and Mituna without success, and this is implied to be the result of almost all of his interactions, up to and including Eridan himself
.
Mituna Captor
Cronus has a cruel attitude toward Mituna, frequently hurling insults at him, calling him “a brain damaged reject”[6] and claiming that Latula only dates him out of pity. Cronus has said he would have culled Mituna himself if that word meant what it did on Alternia, mostly for things that aren't his fault in the first place, such as his failed attempts at finding love, while Mituna either reacts with fear or angrily throws insults back.
Kankri Vantas
Cronus seems to like Kankri Vantas, who is the only troll to listen to his ramblings for attention. When a rare moment of self-awareness causes Cronus to reconsider his actions, Kankri reassures him that what he's doing is right.[citation needed]
Kurloz Makara
Kurloz Makara “scares the shit out of [Cronus]”[7]. This may have something to do with Cronus' death at Kurloz' hands on Alternia. Aranea seems to imply in Openbound part 2 that Kurloz was responsible for shaking Cronus's faith in magic, as well as his resolve to fight Lord English.[citation needed]
Gallery
References
- ↑ Openbound part 1. “ARANEA: The Maid of Space was of course our all-important Space player and Stoker of the Forge, 8ut as you know, we never made much progress on the frog 8reeding front, or really any aspect of the game 8efore the reckoning.”
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “HUSSIE: Cronus is the worst character in Homestuck by a nautical mile. Any questions?”
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “CRONUS: i guess the truth is, deep dowvn i alvways knewv i vwas a 1950s-style human greaser.”
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “CRONUS: but vwhat im trying to say is, you dont judge like the others. vwell, ok, you do, but i cant really take your vwitriol that seriously because you are so obvwiously retar... reticent vwith your true emotions. like for instance, vwho could i confide in vwhen i began to fully come to terms vwith this feeling deep inside that i vwas actually a human "born" in the body of a troll, but nevwer realized it until learning about the humans? nobody. except you, of course. you dont care that i am humankin. you dont mock me for it and trivwialize my tragic existence. vwell, you do, but the point im trying to make is that vwhen you mock me it doesnt actually mean anything, because evwerything you say is such putrid nonsense. #friendship”
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “CRONUS: excuse me. its not a vwand. you knovw perfectly vwell my vwizarding days are behind me. its called a "human cigarette" and apparently youre supposed to set it on fire. / CRONUS: although if you ask me, burning it seems like a vwaste of a perfectly good and cool "cigarette."”
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “CRONUS: you are a brain damaged reject on a team full of rejects. a rejects reject. i vwould havwe culled you myself if that vword meant vwhat it should havwe on our planet.”
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “CRONUS: dont get me vwrong, i knowv you and latula are in a vwery committed matespritship, though lets face facts, she could obvwiously do better. and i mean much better. really she is just in a totally different league, she is charming and gorgeous, vwhereas you are, vwell... you, unfortunately. and i vwouldnt dare to intrude on your longstanding moirallegiance vwith kurloz, and not because he scares the shit out of me either. that just really seems to vwork, you and him, doesnt it? i dont get a peep out of him of course, not evwen if im super nice and compliment his hideous hair, and obvwiously i receivwe nothing but disgusting horseshit out of your mouth evwery time you open it. but you seem to bring good qualities out of each other, no? is it true, the rumor that you are actually lucid vwhen you talk to him, instead of behavwing like a babbling, vwertigo stricken imbecile?”
