by @dialmformara

The idea of a messiah is an interesting and complex one. The word comes from an ancient Hebrew word meaning “anointed”–a messiah is a chosen one. Chosen as a leader, usually, but also as a divine messenger and a harbinger of the end of the world. The most recognizable of such figures in Western culture is Jesus, who it is said attempted to teach humanity to be virtuous and will, it is said, return at the end of the world when we’re ready to learn what he has to teach.



In Homestuck, these themes are split up across a couple of characters. The Signless is a leader and a messenger of virtue on Alternia, and his descendant Karkat takes on his leadership role as the world ends around him. But the truly apocalyptic role is played by different characters entirely: the Mirthful Messiahs worshipped by Gamzee Makara and other purple-bloods.

Gamzee tries to live as his gods do, giving us some insight into what he believes about them. They answer prayers and perform miracles. They encourage the use of mind-altering drugs like sopor and Faygo. They permit the murder of blasphemers and paint walls with their blood. And when the world ends, the Mirthful Messiahs are supposed to reveal themselves to trollkind and lead the faithful to the Dark Carnival.



Like magic, religion in Homestuck is hella fake, and so nothing comes of Gamzee’s beliefs. The Mirthful Messiahs do not appear when the world ends, and since Gamzee can’t bear being wrong about the nature of the universe, he decides that he, as the last believer, embodies his gods himself and tries to carry out their promises.

But there may be some truth behind Gamzee’s disproven beliefs. There are two senses in which the Mirthful Messiahs can be said to exist. The first is that they may be a representation of Doc Scratch and Lord English’s manipulation of Alternian history. It is, after all, their voice, speaking through Lil Cal, which suggests to Gamzee that he take on the Messiahs’ role and slaughter his nonbelieving teammates.

In the second sense, the Mirthful Messiahs do manifest, looking approximately as Gamzee expects them to, and signal the end of a world with their presence. But that world is not Alternia.

The appearance of the Mirthful Messiahs is based on (and within Homestuck, inspires) that of Insane Clown Posse, two hardcore hip-hop artists who paint their faces to look like creepy clowns and sing about the Dark Carnival. In our world, Gamzee’s cult, and the terrifying “subjugglators” who keep Alternia’s land-dwelling population in line, are based on their fan base, who are known as juggalos. Within the world of Homestuck, the Empress of Alternia chooses ICP to rule Alpha Earth as human subjugglators.



Now, this all happened in Homestuck. In a timeline we don’t live in. We’re safe from evil clowns taking over the world, right?

Let’s get serious for a moment. Last week Violent J, a member of ICP, got an editorial published in Time magazine. Its purpose is mostly to protest the US government’s labeling of juggalos as a dangerous gang, but it hits home in other ways.

I’m going to add one more type of clown to Violent J’s list: the racist, sexist reality-TV clowns who have turned the American political process into their own personal circus.

I’ve seen jokes here on Tumblr about Donald Trump being our equivalent of the Juggalo Presidents. I don’t find those jokes funny anymore. Trump really is an absurd and dangerous man who has the power he has because of a gradual decline in the integrity of the political system. But the subjugglation of the American people is not inevitable. If you are a citizen of the United States, and you are 18 years old or older, you can and should vote for it to not happen. If you’re not sure how to register, get a ballot or find a polling place, here are instructions for every state plus Washington, D.C., unincorporated US territories, and military and overseas voters.

