The Dark Carnival is a mysterious location spoken of both by the Insane Clown Posse and the juggalo-like religion practiced by members of Alternia's purple caste.
Background[]
To Earth's juggalos, the Dark Carnival is a purgatory-like realm inhabited by various spirits who judge the souls of the dead before sending them to either heaven (Shangri-La) or hell (Hell's Pit). Among these spirits is Bang! Pow! Boom!, an anthropomorphised explosion constantly tearing through the carnival and destroying evil souls.
In Homestuck[]
In subjugglator religion[]
In conversation with Tavros Nitram at an unspecified time before the beginning of Hivebent, Gamzee Makara describes “tHe cArNiVaL”
as a place of magic, miracles and peace, but also hints that “MuRdEr” is in some way part of its nature. After his personality begins to shift toward the end of Act 5, Gamzee announces to Karkat Vantas his intent to welcome the Dark Carnival by “MOTHERFUCKING KILLING ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKERS”, and tells Dave Strider of “the most baller, darkest of carnivals” said to be held at “a fuckin paradise to come”, which would be crashed by the Mirthful Messiahs and also involved a “shangri la” in some way. At this carnival the believers would be “all mellowing in tents, bumpin sounds, tossing back the faygo and soaking the miracles up our faith sponges, while the special stardust rained down at our elixir sticky faces, like a bunch a fuckin fairy powder from religion space”. While he at first expresses concern that exposure to the Insane Clown Posse's version of his mythos, as described in their song 'Miracles', has turned his religion into a joke, he concludes that “THE ROAD TO THE DARK CARNIVAL HAS NEVER BEFORE BEEN PAVED WITH LOUDER HONK HORNS TO TREAD UPON”, and that his faith and resolve to crush the faithless have only been strengthened.
Kurloz Makara declared that “THE DARK CARNIVAL REJOICED AND SAID IT WAS MONEY”[1] when Gamzee's Bard outfit was completed.
"Real" Dark Carnivals[]
After the Insane Clown Posse's takeover of the United States in Earth's Alpha timeline, the D.C. in the capital city's name “thereafter officially stood for "Dark Carnival."” Tents and mirthful balloons were also seemingly put up throughout the city, causing it to bear a striking resemblance to Gamzee's Sburb planet, the Land of Tents and Mirth.
Given their association with the Mirthful Messiahs, the magical kingdom of cherubim lore may be in some way connected to the Dark Carnival or the Paradise Planet; in this case, it is unclear whether Caliborn's knowledge of the Dark Carnival came from Gamzee or from his cherub ancestry, or if the two are intertwined in some other way. Long after the Mirthful Executives' deaths and the drying up of Earth's flooded oceans, Caliborn began to build his “own little dark carnival”, starting with Gamzee and Lil Cal. Andrew and Caliborn both refer to members of the Felt as members of the Carnival, with the author teasing Caliborn for his apparent tendency to care about Carnival members even when he pretends not to. Caliborn offers one last threat to John Egbert to “COME TO [his] DARK CARNIVAL. "MOTHER FUCKER".” before the story ends.
Wandering into an enigmatic memory of various colourful, luminescent amusement park rides, Vriska Serket ponders if the myth of the Dark Carnival has any truth to it; however Meenah Peixes dismisses the idea as simply “convenient for anyone who wanna exploit those delusions for her own badass objectives”, hinting at the Condesce's use of the purple caste's religion to subjugate Alternia's lower castes. While it is unclear from where this memory originates, and Meenah suggests it might even be “a random patchwork of fifty different memories”, it may be related to Kurloz Makara's “extensive network of virtual catacombs throughout the bubbles”[2].
In the Hiveswap Friendship Simulator and Pesterquest (Dubiously Canon)[]
Following Karako Pierot's death in one Volume 14 ending, a strange vision comes to the player of the purpleblood on a mysterious carousel in the sky, surrounded by troll mannequins and strange religious imagery including depictions of trolls in Bard regalia and some mannequins dressed up as angels.[citation needed] In Pesterquest: Volume 10 , a crystal ball supplied by her lusus allows Feferi Peixes to commune with Karako in this strange Carnival-like space.[citation needed]
References[]
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “KURLOZ: I COME BEARING THEE FINAL JOLLY ACCOUTREMENT MY FAITHFUL INVERTEBROTHER / KURLOZ: THY BARDLY REGALIA IS DONE AND FUCKING DUSTED BY THE SPECIAL STARS THEMSELVES / KURLOZ: ON THIS DAY THE DARK CARNIVAL REJOICED AND SAID IT WAS MONEY / KURLOZ: NOW BRING TO LIFE OUR WICKED RUSE WITH APLOMB MY NINJA / KURLOZ: OUT [sic] LORD AWAITS YOUR SERVITUDE AND TUTELAGE AT ONCE / KURLOZ: WE SHALL NOW BUST OPEN THESE BITCHIN ELIXIR FORTIES / KURLOZ: AND POUR SOME SWEET SWILL OUT FOR THE SOULS WHO SOON WONT BE NO MORE / #:o)”
- ↑ Openbound part 2. “You've kept many secrets from your friends. Secrets to you were always the most beautiful miracles of all. They are the private answers to a bunch of riddles no one ever asked. / But since this place is made of memories, you've had to be extra careful with your secrets. You've carved out an extensive network of virtual catacombs throughout the bubbles, leading to hidden treasures, black recollections, and perhaps one or two illicit dropoff points.”