Trying to decipher Jester’s character
Jester is a character who intrigues me and whom I don't quite understand. At first, I was almost certain he would end up being the "villain," who had precisely manipulated everything to remain in command, as the leader, gaining everyone's trust and reverence, especially that of the strongest (Pierrot), and turning Harlequin into the "scapegoat." Especially because of what we see in Columbine's mirror (which I'm still not clear on—is it her as a ghostly presence or the TT version of the story? I thought it was the latter, but most people seem to treat it as "the Columbine version," so now I don't know, haha, I'm confused).
That comma is just too suspicious… many think it refers to Jester saying he would give Pierrot his own flesh to feed him, but with the comma there, it seems more like he's giving an order? Although it could also be that, being weak, the comma means he's taking a moment to speak because it's difficult for him (but wouldn't it be more appropriate to use (…) in that case? idk)
Then… the fact that when Harlequin kills Columbina, he only says
Everyone else seems affected, shocked, reacting as if they hadn't expected it…but not Jester. He's calmer…as if he already knew it was going to happen.
But what made me doubt him the most and believe for a long time that he was definitely going to be "the bad guy" was when Jester apologized to Harlequin…I mean, why would he apologize to him?
I couldn't help but think that Jester (if he has the ability to control minds) had used this ability to control Harlequin and thus carry out his plan (1. Because he, himself could no longer move, and/or 2. This way, all the blame would fall on Harlequin, Pierrot's hatred would be directed at him, and Jester could retain/gain Pierrot's respect and loyalty, who, as I mentioned, is the strongest member of the group and therefore extremely convenient).
And the final nail in the coffin of my theory was Columbina saying the following:
I thought she obviously meant that Jester didn't feel bad about what he had done, that the forgiveness he asked Harlequin for wasn't sincere…
But now I have another theory… I've started to see Jester differently. Where I firmly believed that Jester would end up being a villain like Mother Gothel/Rika from Mystic Messenger, I think he might be more like Triton from The Little Mermaid or Lucifer from Obey Me xd hahaha okay let me explain.
Do I still think Jester is a manipulator? Yes, but I'm no longer 100% sure he does it with the intentions I initially thought. After certain comments Neko has made about Jester's character and the way he relates to his "family," I think he truly loves them in his own way, that his manipulation isn't intended to harm them (and if it did, it would be unintentional), but rather that he seeks to protect them in his own way, or in the way he believes is right (being aware that this is forged by years of abuse, which obviously makes him biased). While what I mentioned above about Jester manipulating Harlequin to devour Columbine might have happened, I don't believe he did it to make Harlequin the only culprit so he could be free of blame in the eyes of the others and take command, gaining the complete devotion and blind loyalty of the other members, damn it! Now I even think the only reason Harlequin took on the role of villain was because Jester truly couldn't move back then… I think that perhaps if things had been different, either 1. As many others have mentioned, he would have let Pierrot devour him (perhaps so that he would gain strength and, being the strongest, could save the others?) or 2. He would have taken on the villain role that Harlequin did, being the one who sacrificed Columbine (heck, now I even think that maybe there wasn't any use of mind control abilities; perhaps Jester and Harlequin, before being locked up, talked about possible ways to escape… and Harlequin, seeing that Jester (and the others) were no longer able to move (but he could), decided to take the only option he saw as viable at that moment).
So, what did Columbina mean when she said “He wasn’t”? I think maybe she wasn't responding to Jester, but to Pierrot.
Because these are the previous dialogues.
Columbina's first "No" comes after Pierrot asks, "Why are you smiling?"
And then we cut to Harley's crazy laughter (which, if you ask me, starts like when you're about to write a sob, but I don't know, haha).
And then Columbina continues with, "He wasn't."
I think Columbina was actually answering Pierrot, saying, "No. He wasn't smiling (he was crying)."
So, if this were the case, why would Jester be asking Harlequin for forgiveness?
Because Jester knew that Harlequin had been cornered into making the most difficult decision of all, to bear the heaviest burden of guilt (and perhaps the original plan was for Jester to "sacrifice" himself in some way (either feeding Pierrot or him being the one killing Columbina), but now, being unable to move, that role had to be taken by Harlequin; perhaps that's why he asked for forgiveness, because he somehow felt he had failed him and had left him no other option but being the one who carried all the blame).
And... honestly, I don't know what I'm trying to say with all this other than that I'm very confused about Jester's character, lol.
I don't know what his true intentions are; maybe both interpretations I made of him are wrong, but who knows... only time will tell.
I really want to believe that this second version I have of him is the closest to reality :c I think it would break Pierrot's heart (and TT's and Doctor's too xd maybe) if it were any other way. Besides, Harlequin, being the youngest and yet making his own decision without any kind of manipulation or mind control to take on the role of villain in order to save everyone else (yes, even Columbina; maybe at that moment that was the only way to fulfill her request to save her) and carrying all that hatred and guilt of his own free will, would have more weight for me, it would be more cruel and painful, and that fascinates me xd
Well, these are just my theories?? Observations? Analysis? I honestly have no idea what this is… and I also have no idea if anyone actually made it this far, but if you did, thank you, you deserve a prize (for wasting your time on this pointless nonsense I just made up xd). Here's a lollipop (it's not drugged, I swear :3)
Thanks for reading this far. It's the first time I've done something like this, so I think it's all over the place xd. I hope it's understandable enough since I'm using a translator…
And if you want to leave your opinion, I'm really interested in how other people perceive or understand the character of Jester. Maybe that will help me understand him better, haha, because this guy really confuses me, and I have no idea how to write him.