#tfc analysis

[purple-plum-petals]

Power and Control in The Freak Circus + Columbina Theorization

This post is personal analysis of the overarching theme of power/control within the story of TFC (sorry, y'all, I had Columbina brainworms and needed to get this typed out since a lot of it has to do with my queen... I apologize if it's a little all over the place), as well as some slight theorization regarding the history of the characters and Columbina's death.

TW: Discussion and mention of SA, human trafficking, discrimination, objectification, dehumanization, and femicide. Please do not read if these topics upset you!

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So, we see from the very first day of the game that the monsters had their autonomy stripped from them by humans, specifically the human man (whom I will refer to as "ring leader"), who takes advantage of their poor circumstances and offers them a place at his circus in exchange for food. The ring leader knew he had some innate power over the monsters, and he used this power to potentially coerce the monsters into working for him, resulting in the control he had over the cast.

At the circus, the monsters are treated incredibly poorly. They were kept in cages, and their food rations – which were the only thing the ring leader had promised them when he asked them to join his circus – were made smaller and smaller, resulting in them growing too weak to fight back. They were promised they would receive something as payment for their service (i.e., food), and then that was taken away from them (in real life, human trafficking is defined by the use of force, fraud, and/or coercion; in this case, what the ring leader did to the monsters would be fraud, and it would eventually become force).

Since we now have three different versions of Columbina's death, as of December 2025, I will be analyzing each scene one by one to piece together what we already have regarding lore, starting with Harlequin's puppet show.

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Harlequin's Tent:

We are shown by Harlequin during his performance on Day 1 that the monsters were not able to flee from or leave the circus because they were all physically too weak and malnourished to do so (they were trapped, and because of that, they no longer had control over their own lives/wellbeing/fate). However, they eventually regain their freedom by killing, and most likely eating, the ring leader who had been responsible for their imprisonment and unjust treatment.

However, to achieve this in the first place, they had to violate the autonomy of one of their own – Columbina, who I must note was also the only woman-identifying member of the group (Brazil, the country in which the characters originate, also has high femicide rates). Columbina additionally had the identity of "angel" thrust upon her by Harlequin in his story, presumably against her will, just to make her death seem like a sacrifice rather than what it truly was – betrayal and murder.

Harlequin also frames Columbina in this scene as a willing sacrifice, wanting them to eat her so they could become human and build a home for all of them. However, the text right after this narration is Columbina pleading with them as she says, "Please, no!", followed by the text below:

Jester: "We have no choice." – The purple text seems to be almost dejected, like this wasn't something any of them wanted to do, but instead just something they had to do. The way it's worded almost takes away any accountability from them and the actions they had to take as a result of their circumstances. Harlequin: "She is the weakest of us." – The green text highlights the clear power difference/imbalance between Columbina and the rest of the monsters, her physical weakness making her a prime target for what they have to do because she will not be able to fight back. Ticket Taker: "You will give us the strength to go on." – The white text comes off, to me at least, as trying to comfort Columbina so she knows her death will not be in vain, and that she will be helping them all with her "sacrifice." Columbina: "PLEASE HELP ME, I DON'T WANT TO DIE." – The pink text highlights that she did not want to die, and that her death was not something she wanted to happen, nor something she consented to. She was killed, and we do not know who she was calling out to in her final moments for aid.

I find it interesting, too, how in Harlequin's play, only he, Jester, and the Ticket Taker comment on the murder and consumption of Columbina, especially since these are the three characters who have been confirmed not to be virgins by the creator. As someone who works with survivors of SA/stalking/human trafficking and as a survivor myself, I just find this particular scene (and Columbina's story as a whole) so chilling because, statistically, most harm-doers are people you know/are close with. Sometimes, they're even people who experienced violence themselves and no longer want to feel powerless, going so far as to violate the autonomy of another.

Now, in no way am I saying that this scene is directly related to or implying SA, but I just found it interesting to take note of, especially considering that Pierrot and The Doctor have no lines of dialogue during this entire scene. They were simply bystanders from Harlequin's perspective, despite them being the two largest members of the circus, and Pierrot being the strongest in terms of physical strength.

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Ticket Taker's Tent:

TT's tent is incredibly interesting as its main theme is to "not trust what you see", and yet, we see a very different tale compared to both Harlequin's and Jester's retellings presented in the mirror at the end of the hall, which TT states is "his favorite." Placing your trust in someone inherently gives them a lot of power over a situation, especially since, if they break your trust, you're in a worse situation than they are. TT puts the MC in a position where they're inherently at a disadvantage (they're in his tent at the circus he helps run), and to make it through his tent, they have to trust what he tells them during their interactions.

Now, in TT's tent, we get to see mirrors for each of the different circus members, with their reflections either interacting directly with or speaking directly to the MC. At the pink mirror, we see who we can presume is Columbina, given the pink eyes and the subsequent scene if you choose to stay and listen to her tale.

In this retelling, we learn that Columbina didn't look as "monstrous" as her companions, and because of this, she was frequently leered at by the humans who found her to be pretty despite "being one of them (a monster)." However, Pierrot was always around to protect her, and presumably the other circus members, due to his large size and immense strength. Because Pierrot acted as a barrier – as something that prevented them from getting what they wanted (i.e., "a problem") – the humans somehow managed to harm him, leaving him physically unable to protect the others (i.e., taking away his power).

We then cut to a scene of everyone trapped inside different cages – everyone except Columbina, who is sitting on the ground in the middle; we can assume this was because the humans did not view her as any kind of a threat, so they felt no need to restrict her the same way they felt the need to do so with the others. She says she is scared of them (the humans) trying to touch her again, and she asks Harlequin if he will "save" her, which he seems confused by.

After this, we overhear the humans talking about their plans; they'll leave the others to starve, and they'll find a use for Columbina. The humans were planning on isolating her completely from her support system (the other monsters), which is a tactic used by abusers against their victims, so the victim feels as though they can only rely on the person abusing them.

This, to me, can also be representative of how some individuals in real life tend to fetishize other groups of people, which is another way of dehumanizing them (the humans don't respect the monsters, but they find themselves viewing Columbina as an exception to their biases/prejudices, potentially knowing that she is the weakest and targeting her specifically to "tame"). I feel like they were planning on trafficking Columbina, as well, and we can presume what kind of trafficking they were planning on doing based on how they talked about her and the fact that Columbina mentioned they had tried to touch her before ("she'll be useful for something"). We also know Brazil has experienced a rise in human trafficking cases, particularly regarding women [1].

Jester then seems to be surprised that Pierrot is alive and hasn't succumbed to his injuries right before Harlequin breaks out of his cage, and he mentions the fact that Columbina is the weakest among them once more. However, instead of crying or begging for her life, she simply tells Harlequin, "Thank you." Pierrot directly talks in this scene, as well, saying "No... no... no...". Harlequin then laughs with tears in his eyes before telling everyone to eat after biting into Columbina's neck.

Jester: "Sorry, [Harlequin]." – Why was Jester apologizing to Harlequin? Was what happened something Jester had mentioned at some point? Was Columbina's death not done in a spur-of-the-moment situation, but rather, planned, or at least talked about beforehand? Columbina: "No, he wasn't..." – Columbina states that Jester wasn't sorry, but what wasn't he sorry for, exactly? This line brings up a lot of questions.

Now, the story told by the Columbina in TT's Tent shows Harlequin's actions, while most likely not intentionally by him, as merciful – that by killing and eating her, she would not have to endure further abuse by the humans. After this, Columbina thanks the MC for listening, and you leave the tent after not having blinked or moved for quite some time.

This story is completely different from what we have seen from the other characters, and since it's confirmed that everyone remembers what happened differently to cope with her death, I find it so interesting how TT's depiction of the event shows Columbina's death as almost peaceful. I'm a huge sucker for the theory that TT had a paternal relationship with Columbina (based on the screenshot of him kissing her forehead while she was dying/being eaten, his symbol being a teardrop, him being in charge of the pink tent, and the fact he is the oldest among the group; if you're interested in this theory, check out @hexserath's blog under the tag #grievingfathertheory), so it would make sense for his character to view her death not as violent, but as something better for her than the potential abuse she would have had to endure while the rest of them were left to rot.

However, while the Columbina in the mirror could have potentially been her spirit talking with the MC, and while I do enjoy this concept, I do not think that is the case. The reason I say this is because of the easter egg and other flashes of dialogue from her character. In the easter egg, if the MC chooses to name themselves "Columbina", it shows scenes of her violent death, with her text reading, "We are not the same, you and I. I didn't want to, but our fate was cursed. I should have listened to him. It was my fault." (Keep this last line in mind for later.)

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Pink Tent Intermission:

Before we get to Jester's tent, I wanted to talk about the "fools" of the circus. So, we know that the characters cared deeply for Columbina, with all of them being depicted crying in one scene or another over her death. However, I do find it strange that pink – the color that represents Columbina herself (even if we see two different shades of pink for her used throughout the game; one that is more saturated, and one that is more pastel, which we see in Jester's performance) – was chosen for the purpose it was eventually given at the circus. We know that pink tickets are given to people who will either be used as dolls for performances or advertising (i.e., Carol, the unpleasant woman from the café, other "fools") or as a source of food for the circus members (as shown in the bad end on Day 1 regarding the MC's fate).

While them wanting to have Columbina and her memory remain a crucial part of the circus makes sense, especially since her death resulted in them being able to become human and create the circus as their new home, I do find it almost cruel that the pink tickets are given to people who are "sacrifces" that are used for their bodies in one way or another (either as meat for the circus members to consume, or as mindless dolls to be used in the different performances or tents).

Given that we can assume that Columbina was frequently a target of unwanted advances, both from humans and her own kin alike (i.e., Harlequin), and was a victim of abuse just as much as the rest of the cast was, it feels almost... distateful to me that her violent death is memorialized in such a way by the circus. Though, perhaps the monsters simply grieve and mourn differently than humans, which wouldn't be a stretch considering Jester's comments about how love is perceived in the valley where they once lived.

It's also strange to me that those dressed in pink are called "fools", which Harlequin talks about in Day 2, especially considering that fool is something demeaning you would call another person who you would consider to be unintelligent or naive. I find Columbina saying "it was my fault" in her scene in the naming easter egg to be something to note, and it makes me wonder if Columbina was the one who first made contact with the humans and, because of her naivety, was coerced or tricked into making a deal with the ring leader that resulted in the poor conditions she and her companions then were forced to endure. This would make sense why those who wear pink at the circus are deemed "fools" to mirror Columbina's own naive actions.

Harlequin mentions in his play that the man who asked the monsters to work for him would give them food in return for their services. Perhaps the monsters were experiencing famine in the valley, and Columbina believed the human man would be able to help them. This is just a theory for right now, though, at least until more information is revealed throughout the story.

To tie this little rant back to power and control, I desperately want to know how the circus chooses those who receive pink tickets. Since we know Carol is currently at the circus as a fool, it makes me wonder how she ended up there – was she kidnapped, or was she invited to the circus much like the MC was? We know from the brief interaction between the MC and Boss that Carol has a turbulent home life, so did this make her a target for the circus? In real life, most predators tend to find victims who don't have many people to rely on or other traits that make someone an "easy" target, so it's not too far of a stretch. This also makes me wonder why the MC was given a pink ticket, too. Did TT know the MC lives alone, or was there something inherently apparent about the MC that made them seem like a prime target (i.e., naivety)? Here's an interesting post/theory regarding the fools, particularly in reference to TT!

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Jester's Tent:

In Jester's play on Day 2, we get to see the events Harlequin depicted in his puppet show as something almost completely different. For one, Jester uses the human fools as actors, resulting in the death of the one woman actor, who was assigned to play Columbina, at the hands of the actor meant to represent Harlequin. So far, we have seen Jester and Pierrot directly killing people in their performances, which I think is another important thing to note for the future; I don't have much more to say about this at the current moment, but I do find it quite interesting that this is the case (Harlequin uses puppets, The Doctor doesn't kill anyone on-screen during his tent sequence, and Ticket Taker has no one else in the tent while we're there).

Jester's story focuses on Columbina and Pierrot's relationship ("forbidden love") rather than their prior interactions with humans/the history of the circus. In his play, he highlights how Columbina was "delicate, with no claws, almost no fangs," and how Pierrot would be incredibly gentle, going so far as to hide his claws (the monstrous aspects of himself), so as not to accidentally harm her. However, Harlequin, who is described as The Poison by Jester, shows great envy towards the two and their relationship. He seems to wish that Columbina would look at him in the same way she does Pierrot, and that he would become angry whenever she "slipped away from his attempts at seduction."

Jester notes that Columbina's heart "beat differently" for Harlequin (which could have been from fear of him, since she states that "something inside of you scares me" when talking with him). However, in this moment of rejection and heartbreak, Harlequin kills Columbina, which Pierrot ends up stumbling upon. Her final words are "Please... Please don't [Harlequin]." This is followed by the following lines of dialogue:

Ticket Taker: "Why... did you do that?" – Blue text (not white, which is interesting given that TT seems to switch between white and blue text, with the white text being used for him on Day 1 during Harlequin's performance). This is the same dialogue we have seen in previous moments from him that expresses a feeling of shock because of Harlequin's actions. Harlequin: "Someone had to do it, obviously." – Green text; new dialogue that was not shown in any other scene regarding this moment. Harlequin states that someone had to do it (murder), and that Columbina's death was an obvious choice; he comes off as almost callous and cruel. Pierrot: "No... no... no..." – Yellow text with the same dialogue we have seen in a similar scene from TT's Tent. Once again shows how much emotional turmoil this caused Pierrot, especially since he didn't have the power to protect Columbina in this moment.

Jester finishes his performance by stating, "Because in the valley of monsters, love is just another way to devour each other." This is something that could certainly be a cultural difference between their species and humans, though it could have just been the culture of monsters living within the valley, since they had been forgotten and left to starve, making food and hunger something important to them. After this, we get the text, "We have no choice.", in purple, with Jester once again reiterating they didn't have a choice regarding the actions they took toward Columbina. Were they forced to do it, or did they simply believe there were no other routes they could take, given their physical weakness/loss of power?

Now, Jester's story is interesting because Harlequin's murder of Columbina is painted to be done because of jealousy, not out of mercy (as depicted by TT) or as something that needed to be done so they could be free (as depicted by Harlequin, who also called Columbina an "angel" for her sacrifice). I really enjoy Harlequin's character, but it's clear that he is depicted in Jester's retelling of the events as being selfish, greedy, and envious, resulting in him killing someone he cared for in a fit of anger (or to purposefully harm Pierrot, similar to the idea "if I can't have her, no one can"). This particular retelling is a bit unnerving compared to the others, showing Harlequin's seeming entitlement to Columbina, her love, and her affections, despite her not wanting to have that kind of relationship with him. This is very frequently a reason behind a lot of harm done to women by men who feel wronged or slighted by the woman not reciprocating the feelings they believe they deserve.

After his show, Jester's final words to the MC are that, if they try to run, they will be found; he wants the MC to know how powerless they are in the current situation, and he seems to have no problem making them aware of it. We know that Jester is the only member of the cast who fully hates humans, and that he is the appointed leader of the circus (we do not know the full details behind why at this point in time, but being a leader is a very high position of power).

The fact that he can control another person's mind, turning them into "dolls", is quite concerning. Calling someone a "doll" is clear objectification and dehumanization in this case, and since Jester's ability leaves people unable to move or act of their own free will, it takes away from them all of their autonomy and choice. Pierrot even tells the MC to not speak or move after putting a mask over their face and telling them to simply act like a doll, which indicates to me that this is how humans under Jester's influence act when not being given direct orders (which, later in the mentioned scene with Pierrot, results in Harlequin coming in and immediately taking advantage of the situation, saying "I must be really lucky today!" when he sees the MC chained to the bed).

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...So, yeah. This was my big, long braindump because I'm very interested in the truth behind my beloved Columbina's death (and I'm very passionate about discussing the inappropriate amount of violence that women face across the world). Let me know your thoughts on my nonsense haha! I tried to compile/analyze all of the retellings of this particular event from the characters so far. It's really interesting to me that we haven't seen what happened from Pierrot's or The Doctor's POVs yet, and I'm very curious to see if we will.

On that note... surprise!!!

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Bonus Pierrot Analysis:

Pierrot calls the player "my sweet angel" (the same mioniker/theme that is tied to Columbina) at the end of Day 1 if you eat the circus food or his cake, likening you to his deceased lover (who we know he felt drawn to because she was kind and gentle with him, as told by Jester). He then says, while you're passed out, "Don't make me devour you, too."

The next day, when the MC wakes up, Pierrot tells them that there were other eyes "trying to devour" them (that specific word is used again by Pierrot, and it's the same word used by Jester during his performance), and that you "looked like prey" while passed out – highlighting his desire to keep you safe and under his watch, but also noting that he does view you, to some degree, as prey/helpless/weak (he seems to be aware that he is a predator/much stronger than you). He then mentions that you were breathing slowly and you weren't moving, saying, "it was like... like you were going to disappear forever, like..." (like Columbina?) before quickly stating he would never hurt you "like that" (murder? assault?).

We know that Pierrot's main color is yellow (his eyes, his text), and yet, he's forced to wear red. Red symbolizes love and passion, but it is also a color closely associated with anger. We also know that Pierrot was assigned this color by Jester as a punishment (red also being the color used for the humans who harmed the cast). Now, this brings up the question – did Pierrot hurt Columbina in some way, or was he more involved in her death than he remembers? Sometimes people black out in moments of intense anger, so could that be a potential reason? In the Commedia dell'arte, the character Columbina cheats on her husband Pierrot with Harlequin, so do the characters' inspirations/historical origins play a major role in TFC?

For right now, though, there are not enough clues pointing to Pierrot potentially being the one who killed Columbina when compared to Harlequin, who is depicted in all the stories as being the one behind her death. All we have is Pierrot mentioning not wanting to devour the MC "too", but this could simply be because he was fed part of Columbina by the other members of the circus to get his strength up after being attacked/injured. Though, in Jester's play, Pierrot says, "I'll find a way to be together forever..." before it cuts to a shot of an open mouth with sharp teeth moving towards the camera after Columbina is killed, implying that Pierrot ate her remains willingly so the two could be together even after her death.

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...Man, I really do love lore analysis. If anyone is interested, I could do an analysis of the mirrors in the Ticket Taker's tent (because his tent was so, so cool).

[namelessflowers]

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.

[anneblure]

Have you guys ever noticed that Pierrot courts the MC the exact same way he used to court Columbina, but with different intensities?

For example, in this scene, the Jester mentions that Pierrot used to give flowers of the valley to her. He also gives us a rose, but a handmade one, painted with Pierrot's own blood—something with a much deeper symbolism, showing a far greater level of devotion.

Pierrot was highly protective of Columbina against humans. He defended her and would get hurt by them as a punishment, but he kept protecting her anyway. With the MC, Pierrot shows himself to be even more protective, since he brutally kills the café customer just for being mean to the MC. From what we saw in the mirror, Pierrot wasn't that aggressive towards the humans who harassed Columbina.

He also used to hide his claws so he wouldn't scratch Columbina, just like he hides his monstrous nature now so he won't scare the MC

This proves that Pierrot’s love for Columbina was something more innocent, youthful—a classic first love. With the MC, however, it is an obsession; it’s something much more intense and deeply rooted. Of course, this is also due to what Pierrot went through. Back during Columbina's time, he had already experienced suffering, but he hadn't yet seen how truly cruel the world could be. That's why he was more innocent, younger, and more naive. By the time he meets the MC, he is much more experienced. He has learned how bad and cruel the world is, which is why he defends the MC in a much more intense and even violent way against anyone who slightly offends her. He will never let anyone hurt the person he loves ever again.

This is my first post, so please forgive me if it's bad or if there are any typos. English is not my first language.

[rediss-tfc]

Nathaniel's Past

What if Nathaniel is actually a former detective? He looks away when talking about his unexpected meeting.

I wonder what kind of meeting happens late at night, right after one of your female employees went missing…

I saw information that if the MC were a detective, the circus characters would treat her with more caution. So what if that’s the reason everyone got a ticket except the Boss? He’s tall and muscular – a great candidate for hauling boxes in the circus. So why not take him? He’s not wearing a ring, so in theory no wife or kids. Then again, he does have several tattoos in visible places. I’ve heard that people with tattoos are kidnapped less often because they’re easier to identify. So maybe…?

But on the other hand, if he’s a former detective and they know about it, why such an obvious provocation as kidnapping two of his employees? It could help lure Nathaniel to the circus, but surely there are simpler and safer ways.

He might also be that child who got too close to the Ticket Taker’s tent as a kid.

This is from TT’s answer in AMA1 part 12(2) – he said that kid probably still remembers that incident to this day. And since today Neko mentioned that our Boss has an interesting past… Well, this could all very well be true.

[yuitsu61]

「TFC」 Lore Analysis + My own interpretations

Hi, this post is quite long and I combined 3 versions of the story told by the casts together + my own interpretations. Please don't hesitate to tell me if I missed something 🙏

⭐️ The Harlequin's puppet show

Okay so I'm gonna start from the Harlequin's show. This tragedy starts from here.

The monsters accepted the deal given by humans to feed them, I don't know what the details are beside that.

But after that it shows, "They applauded their pain". Of course it's an unfair deal. The shows they did were dangerous and harmful, but it's still better than surviving on their own. Or so they thought. They think they had a choice, but in reality, they don't at the moment they agreed to this scam.

Harlequin says while the monsters rotted in their cages, swallowed by the dark. So there are many cages, they are being locked away from each other. After that there are some dialogs.

Jester: "What if we became human"

Harlequin: "We could eat as much as we want"

Pierrot: "No one would hurt us ever again"

Columbina: "I can feed you, grow strong, become human and build a home for us"

It looks like they think them being humans can fulfill their other wishes. Now what do monsters have to do in order to become human? In this setting, it seems like you are what you eat. They have to eat humans in order to become humans. If I remember correctly Neko said that human flesh sustain them the "most". I believe this sustain is not about hunger because it was mentioned that the monsters can eat normal food like any human do as well. If this is about how they can sustain their human-like appearances. Then there should be something else that could sustain them too, just not as effective as human flesh. That something else is most likely the monster with human-like characteristics.

The text here is pink, I think it can be implied that Columbina was the one who realized what they need as a sacrifice, in order to be humans for Jester's suggestion. She is willing to be a sacrifice for her family, in order to make her hopes and dreams come true as well.

Everyone use the word "us" for their wishes, so it's not a personal wish but they are being considerate for their whole family. Pink columbine flower means platonic/ familial love, faith, hope, foolishness (the shape of flower looks like a jester hat). Maybe the Jester chose to play the role of the Jester because of this. I think these flower language explain her character well. She most likely see everyone in familial way. She got mistreated by humans for quite some times, likely with harsh comments and sexually implied ways, even though her family protected her. I personally think she doesn't want any romantic love at that point because of these bad experiences.

I know this is from the Harlequin's pov but I see how he placed himself in the middle, and not facing anyone. (It seems to me that Harlequin feels like he doesn't belong there.)

But also the Jester's puppet is so suspiciously close to him compared to Pierrot, like he is whispering into Harlequin's ear. (Connect this to other versions of the story later)

Now look at the order and the wording used. For Pierrot and Harlequin's comments, they sounded more like answers to Jester's "what-if we become human". But from Columbina's line where she is the last one to speak, at least to me, sounds like a dying wish. It's a wish you entrust to someone else. When she says this, she is facing the Jester and Harlequin, so I think they were the one who got entrusted with her wish. (I'm not sure if Pierrot heard this, it seems like he passed out after he spoke) But there was no comments coming from the Doctor and Ticket Taker puppets, so they might not know about this "plan".

According to the story from TT's mirror. The sequence of them getting put in jail is Pierrot -> Jester -> Harlequin -> Columbina -> Ticket Taker & Doctor.

Columbina was seen talking to Harlequin when the scene went dark, so it means she got put in jail before the last two. TT and Doctor got put in jail later, so they didn't heard the previous conversation about the plan. Leading to them being shocked after Harlequin killed Columbina while asking "Why... did you do that?".

Next is the dialogues from Harlequin + TT's mirror story + Jester

From every version of the story told by casts, Columbina was looking towards Pierrot's direction, she is telling Pierrot that Harlequin wasn't laughing. (Also in what I see, Jester really really love his family. Of course he is so sorry about what he did. There's no way that he is not sorry 😭)

These scenes, I personally think it didn't really happen. But the casts were in distressed so they just imagined things on their own.

Have you heard this quote that says "If you are a Jester then I'm willing to be your fool"? I think this is why Harlequin refers to those darlings in pink as "the fools", because they are devoted to following the Jester's will just like how Columbina willingly sacrifice for his idea. But Columbina didn't only do it for Jester, she did it for everyone's sake including hers. Columbina already knows about all of that and she is still willingly choose to do it. To me, she is the wise fool who knows what she's doing.

I don't know if Neko referenced from this or not, but it was from Lord of Mysteries.

Do you know of "The Fool's Gambit"? It is referring to "The Fool's Mate" in chess. This is a quickest checkmate in 2 moves. It is a reckless, high-risk, irrational, and self-sacrifice strategy done by Klein Moretti (the protagonist). With the famous quote

"I won't lose too much, just myself. There are always some things that are more important than others"

To highlight ultimate self-sacrifice, meaning the sacrifice is a worthy price to protect the others, loved ones, or achieve a higher purpose. I think that's what Columbina decided to do.

She knows that their fate was cursed. If the end is inevitable then she'd rather choose how it ends. Also, I think she was the one who asked Harlequin to do it. Because his poison seems to be able to ease the pain/ has sedating effect, so her death would be a gentle one.

Then she regretted it, she didn't think the outcomes would be like this. She just wished for her family's happiness. So she think that she should have listened to him. To me there's 2 possibilities

Listen to the ring master, so he wouldn't harm her family

Listen to the Jester's other plan

I think it's most likely be the first one, because Jester said " We have no choice". He couldn't think of other plan either at that moment.

IDK what exactly can Harlequin's poison does but from secret scene here, Harlequin used his poison to stop Pierrot from going on a rampage. So having Harlequin be the one who did it made the sacrifice less painful.

⭐️ The Ticket Taker's mirror

Jester: I will, feed him.

Harlequin: ... Wait.

This one is, well I think Harlequin was going to suggest something else like let's go together or that he be the one to feed Pierrot instead of Jester. (Maybe he's secretly hoping that Pierrot will look at him if he save him like this) But Jester was reckless and got caught, followed by Harlequin.

What is saving someone? To put the end to their pain is one way to put it. If living is painful then ending it might be a way to "save". Her sacrifice can make them "become human" and make the previous wishes mentioned come true.

This scene, where Harlequin says "she is the weakest". What is "weakest" to the monster? To me, my answer is "resembles a human the most".

From how the Jester say no claws and almost no fangs. That's the main difference between Columbina and other monsters. To be or not to be. Columbina's answer is not to be. She chose not to be ended by humans' hands. "I don't want to die", in what manner? Is this a whole sentence or there was something more that got twisted? To someone, dying is being forgotten. That's why she chose to entrust her family to tell her story to the world, so she won't be forgotten and always live in their memories.

When they were being in jail, Harlequin is the closest one to Jester. This is my personal guess, Jester is referenced after Baphomet with hypnotic ability. If Jester really do have hypnotic ability that is similar to code geass where you have to look into the user's eyes then maybe he can't use it on anyone else because they're too far away. The other one located closest to Jester was Pierrot but he seems to be unconscious. Jester's ability most likely couldn't be use on someone unconscious because they can't look into Jester's eyes. Also, it couldn't be used on himself either, if he can then he'd already be already out of jail. Jester also said "I can't move. ■■■■■ is alive?" So Harlequin, who's still conscious had to do it instead of Jester, with Jester doing something to reinforce Harlequin's strength, resulting in him being able to break out of the jail. Or else they'll be all dead without any of their wish being fulfilled. They really had no choice.

⭐️ The Jester's stage play

Nameless doesn't mean that they don't have names, it means they are hideous creatures, loathed by the world.

I think this stage play is referenced after Hamlet. The "poison is his hand" is from the weapon Claudius gave to Laertes (Ophelia's brother) for revenge. When Hamlet is about to die from poison, his close friend, Horatio was going to join him in death. But Hamlet asks Horatio to tell his story to the world. That's what stopped Horatio from committing suicide and keep his promise to Hamlet. I do see parallel in this stage play where

Harlequin is playing the role of Laertes (Ophelia's brother).

Columbina as Hamlet.

Pierrot as Ophelia (Hamlet's love interest).

Jester as Claudius (Hamlet's uncle).

Ticket taker as Horatio (Hamlet's close friend), witnesses to this tragedy.

Doctor as the Guard -> I'm not,sure about this lol, but he isn't saying anything so his role is watching, I guess?

The flower is his hand resembles a red pansies to me.

And from Ophelia's Bouquet:

"There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. 

 Pray you, love, remember.

 And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts ...

There’s fennel for you, and columbines.

There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me. 

We may call it “herb of grace” o' Sundays.

- Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference.

There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets, 

But they withered all when my father died."

Pansies that Ophelia described can mean many things, but in this case it's red. So I'd like to think it symbolize passionate love, remembrance, admiration, "I am thinking of you". But Columbina on stage play didn't say anything back nor extend her hand to receive that flower that represents "romantic love", in the same time, she is not looking away as well. I think she sees Pierrot as a family member and love him in her own ways.

From Hamlet: It was given out by Claudius that a serpent had stung him (the previous king). But it turns out that the serpent was actually Claudius himself.

Now look at the narrator, it's the Jester himself too was the one who said "A monster with venom in his voice and in his hands" to describe the Harlequin it is similar to the words that were used to describe the culprit by Claudius. I interpret this is Jester believes he is the evil mastermind behind it. He was the one who made the Harlequin use the poisoned weapon (his claws) on Columbina. All the blames should be on him instead of Harlequin. But Pierrot already saw it so he can't make any excuses for Harlequin. Then when Columbina is dying, she asked all of her family to live on and tell this stories to the world just like what Hamlet did to Horatio. This is what makes the casts tell their stories in the circus, each in their own point of view. As a way to mourn and as to keep their promise. TT resembles Horatio's role the most, for he is the one who promised he would make a true report, as one that was privy to all the circumstances. If you combine this with "I just wanted to tell someone, Obrigada" from Columbina in TT's mirror then it's clear that this was Columbina's wish for her whole family to keep living on in her stead.

(Pic from wikipedia lol)

This is my interpretation on this whole stage play. As I said before that I believe the Jester is referenced after a Baphomet, they also represent balance, equilibrium, duality. The performers' white&black socks should symbolize duality. Duality is when contrast between two contradicting aspects at the same time. For example: light&dark, love&hate, hope&despair, etc. Harlequin probably feel really guilty about it, but in the same time he also feel at ease when he finally have Pierrot's eyes on him and not on Columbina anymore, even though he doesn't want to do it. Then in Baphomet's figure, they usually comes with white moon (chesed) together with black moon (geburah) to signify equilibrium. There is only white moon (full moon) in the Jester's show, indicating that the story is unbalanced. You have to combine it with black moon (moonless night) in order to reach equilibrium (the balanced truth).

Thank you again for reading! I'm so high on caffeine. To anyone who reach this point, you deserve a shining crown 👑✨️

[doctorblytheternal]

greetings, just a wandering lurker on the internet... a lurker who's had ideas about harlequin for a while now. ♡ i've got an analysis i've been thinking about in particular. (it actually started as an analysis on harlequin's side of columbina's tale but it turned into an analysis of harlequin's character afterwards too, hahah (´｡•ω•｡`)♡)

let's get into it – a deep dive into harlequin's side of the moonless night and the effects of the moonless night had onto present day harlequin.

(i also initially started writing this to answer the question of "why was harlequin envious of pierrot and columbina?" but i got carried away and may have dumped all my thoughts about harlequin into this analysis... oops? ps this might keep on being updated after posting, hehe. ♡)

(also happy birthday, harlequin ♡ !!)

(tw about talks about murder, sexual harassment, sexual assault & sexual trafficking.)

(alsoooo psps credits to @aadamoriss for making me notice this first detail among the others. ♡)

in the one of the newest ama's on the official tfc blog, pierrot says this when asked about a favorite memory he's had about his past.

and in a previous ama, harlequin says that he has a perfume with the scent of night-blooming jasmine – of course, he didn't seem to say it was his favorite but it's certainly a choice to have that scent in particular, especially one visitors seem to like, is it not?

maybe harlequin is more sentimental than we thought. he deflects all questions trying to understand or reach him with sexual innuendoes and connotations, yes, but he has a heart underneath all that, surely...

surely the sexual desires are (true,) but a coping mechanism. columbina did say they developed their own shields and emotional defense mechanisms concerning the moonless night. (we discuss this more about this later on. ♡)

using little details like this, i've gathered some that could point towards a deeper motivation for harlequin beyond envy of pierrot and columbina's love.

= ･ׅ 𝜗℘ ･ׅ =

i've always had a thought about how jester in particular framed the night they consumed columbina. specifically how he frames harlequin as the "villain" compared to pierrot's longing and love for the sweet angel. though ticket taker gives us more intel on the moonless night itself, it helps to understand that while jester definitely mixed the truth with some lies to turn it into an almost fantastical tale (no moonless night in jester's retelling), some parts of that had to be true.

pierrot loved columbina for her kindness, and he grew protective of her in the face of humans who planned on using columbina (implird to be sexual) for her beauty because of that. he even tried to hide his claws so she couldn't prick herself on his claws – so she wouldn't be scared of him. (i think this part is true, specifically the "hide his claws so she couldn't prick herself" part since he does the same thing with mc.)

in jester's retelling of the tale, harlequin sees this, was envious and went after columbina, unclear of his intentions. jester's narration calls this seduction rather than courting out of love (what pierrot does). columbina's line afterwards is "(insert line about bina saying she sighs for him too etc etc)" which implies she atleast felt something towards him.

but why was harlequin envious? why is he envious? why does he try to go after anything pierrot wants?

to answer this, first, let's go back to the answers from the ama. from various ama questions that have been answered (and posted publically), pierrot met harlequin first among the group, actually being quite shy in certain ways during those early days and alone. even more so, harlequin was alone since pierrot says harlequin's parents weren't around when he met harlequin.

from this ama, when asked who jester would pick to lead the circus if he and ticket taker weren't an option, he says harlequin because "he understands how [their] world works", and harlequin would leave if it meant it would help his family according to another.

and add in this ama, if it also addresses his earlier years prior to meeting the others, it means harlequin has been through enough to learn what needs to be done to survive, even in the earlier days.

in comparison to pierrot who is a heart-ruler (someone who makes decisions, guides their life, or navigates situations based on emotions, empathy, and intuition rather than strict logic or practical calculation), harlequin would prioritize surviving rather than the heart. he doesn't fall in love as easy as pierrot does, and he knows what needs to be done when times are dire and they can't afford to prioritize love when their lives are on the line.

(hence why he made the move to eat columbina, jester couldn't move (shackled or hungry, but the point is jester couldn't make the initiative), pierrot is barely hanging on and isn't one to lead, not even able to respond when jester asked if he was alive, doctor isn't one to lead either, equally as hungry and weak, and ticket-taker is weak enough to struggle speaking without breaks. but harlequin still had the strength to break the bars. he took the initiative because no one else could.)

pierrot is a heart-ruler, and he saw his rival for columbina's love kill her. he was laughing manically, through his own anguish and the weight of everyone else's, to survive.

but did harlequin actually love columbina or was he seducing her?

i have some crumbs of information that could mean something, but my hypothesis is that harlequin also loved columbina, but didn't want to let go of his attachment (familial, romantic or otherwise) for pierrot either.

but he didn't let that affect a motivation that surpasses that, one much stronger than the love for one, the other or both – the need to survive.

= ･ׅ 𝜗 1 ℘ ･ׅ =

now, in this ama, neko says that jester took the lead because no one else could. too consumed by grief, sorrow and anguish. take into account what i said about harlequin before – surely he would have enough willpower to keep leading the group through columbina's death if he didn't have a deeper liking for columbina... right? but he couldn't. jester had to keep them going.

so he was affected by columbina's death too. deeply.

and might i say, harlequin was one of the two who were the most affected by columbina's death in the long run as well. (we'll come back to this later. ♡)

= ･ׅ 𝜗 2 ℘ ･ׅ =

do you remember in undertale, where the monsters would often laugh to cope when they experienced something tragic, when they were hurt or killed? you wouldn't laugh at something like that, that's not funny. mant monsters acknowledge that, that they shouldn't be laughing at something like that, that's not funny... but they still laugh. that's a psychological defense mechanism, not sadism.

apply that to harlequin – him laughing during columbina's death, down to the idea of temporary, fleeting happiness to cope with something that would scar you for a long time.

"No... no... no..."

"EAT!"

"Why... are you smiling?"

No.

"Hah... hahahahahahhhaha!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Why... did you do that?"

"Sorry... [Harlequin]."

He wasn't... (= he wasn't actually laughing. he didn't find it funny. it hurt him too.)

makes more sense, right? he didn't feel sadistic about columbina's death, nor did he find it funny, he laughed as a coping mechanism to cope with what he just did.

= ･ׅ 𝜗 3 ℘ ･ׅ =

"Maybe he'll be the first to fall."

"And then one by one we'll all wither away in this pit, [Harlequin]."

"I will, feed him."

"Wait..."

[Jester is caught and placed into the cage.]

take a look at this exchange between jester and harlequin directly after pierrot is attacked and caged by the humans who saw him a threat to them wanting to get closer to columbina. i propose to you my interpretation of the scene that came from deeper analysis – what if they were discussing plans using their shot in the dark change to survive relating to columbina?

we don't see anything, we are shown a black screen, but by now the group is realizing the gravity of their situation under the ringleader as he slowly starves them and attacks the monsters for entertainment. the humans in the prior scene couldn't touch columbina with pierrot around (and a fate far worse than theirs would come for her if the humans had it their way), and i do think he, too, was protecting the others. but with pierrot gone, columbina was more vulnerable.

they caught jester next (perhaps they had a plan jester was meant to execute but he was caught and harlequin was placed in the position of initiation on what to do next.), and with jester gone, they had begun realizing the worst is coming to worst. (and i think it's here where harlequin's idea started bubbling to the surface. columbina asks him if he's going to save her, and harlequin... would end up putting her out of her misery instead of being her hero. because if columbina was alive after the moonless night and they had somehow survived, the humans wouldn't stop their pursuit and they would continue getting hurt.)

columbina, the weakest one, was scared. scared that they'll touch her more, assault her again and do something despicable to her, since they already planned on taking her away from the others, their intentions with her are most likely sexual trafficking.

perhaps it would make sense if harlequin took the initiative to protect columbina in the pierrot's stead, for her sake or pierrot's, and it would be here the thoughts of eating her if worst comes to worst would start bubbling to the surface. if we assume he did love her like i said before, harlequin took the chance and either stayed with columbina and kept her company, protecting her in place of pierrot to ensure their family wouldn't be separated or hurt, or both.

so it's jester who acts as the final nail in the coffin that solidifies harlequin's next actions.

jester manipulated harlequin into doing the last resort option harlequin was thinking of, not wanting to do it unless it was truly the last option available, hence why he apologizes to harlequin after columbina is bitten.

another possibility is that this conversation with jester and harlequin happened before the initial scene with columbina and the humans saying she was pretty before pierrot stepped in and got caged afterwards. if this one is true, it means that harlequin had already thought about it and shunned it to the back of his head as a last resort option. i, personally, like this option better because of jester's first line – "Maybe he'll be the first to fall." jester talks about that possibility, not that it happened, because he would've said "He was the first to fall, and then we'll all wither away one by one in this pit, [Harlequin]" if pierrot had already fallen.

the 'maybe' (indicating that the scenario in his words are hypothetical, not literal) and 'he will be the first to fall" (the 'will' supports the hypothetical the 'maybe' is referring to, instead of pertaining to a situation that had already happened – the 'maybe' and 'will' wouldn't be there if the situation being talked about had already happened.) supports the sentence pertaining to a hypothetical situation rather than a literal one. an optimal sentence, if the scenario was literal, would be "he was the first to fall among us" (removing the 'maybe' and substituting the 'will' for 'was' to indicate the situation in the sentence had already happened. adding 'maybe' and 'will' turns it into hypothetical, whereas this is literal). had enough of me being an english teacher yet? hahaha ♡

harlequin already had the first thought of eating columbina if worst comes to worst, which it did. the exchange, then, would imply jester nudged harlequin (mind control, or otherwise, that's also a possibility i like but the main point is that jester made harlequin do the last resort option of eating columbina, but he did not make that option) into deciding that a sacrifice truly is necessary.

also while we're talking about the significance and literary anatomy of jester's line, "Maybe he'll be the first to fall." makes sense if this happens after pierrot stands guard in front of columbina and the others as a barrier ensuring they couldn't hurt her or any of them but before pierrot is hurt and caged. jester talks about a possibility highly likely to be true considering their circumstances that pierrot will be taken down first, then they'll get taken down one by one after their first line of defense is taken away.

(......can't believe i spent a paragraph hyperanalyzing and breaking down the meaning of a single line of dialogue...... (lll⚆ᗜ⚆)

= ･ׅ 𝜗 3.5 ℘ ･ׅ =

"And on a moonless night where the sky seemed dead,"

The monsters realized there was an angel among them!"

(The monsters realized a sacrifice would be necessary.)

perhaps it wasn't "the monsters = all of them" like harlequin's retelling makes us think but rather harlequin in particular realized a sacrifice would be necessary should all of them be caged and left to starve. the others were shocked and horrified when harlequin killed columbina, so they weren't in on it (except for jester because none of his lines suggest he was stunned or shocked by harlequin's actions, supporting my interpretation of harlequin and jester's prior conversation; "We have no choice." in harlequin's retelling and "There's no turning back now." in mirror columbina's and his own retelling) otherwise another conversation would be held about it and they wouldn't be that scared. all of the puppets had tears after columbina's puppet disappeared (after they had eaten the sacrificial angel), so they weren't villain monologuing to and about columbina while harlequin made the move to bite her. in the version told by mirror columbina in tt's tent, they didn't villain monologue just yet, they were distraught, in anguish and grief first.

remember, by now the gravity of their situation is sinking in, they're starving and getting caught when they try and act out plans to survive (jester; there's also a chain sound when jester says "I can't move. [Pierrot] is alive...?" so he might also be chained down and caged because he was dangerous?). prior to this in the conversation between jester and harlequin before jester got caged, that conversation must've been before pierrot was caged judging from how jester worded his sentences. they're being locked up to starve to death because they are dangerous to their goals and missions. by the time harlequin was caged and columbina was chained down, everyone was weak and starving. hope was dire unless someone did something.

Moonless night.

"Maybe this will be our last one."

"I'm so hungry.."

"Me too... how long as it been... since we last ate?"

"I can't move. [Pierrot] is alive...?"

"..."

notice how harlequin doesn't speak a single line of dialogue in this exchange before he breaks free from his cage and eats columbina.

in the previous line of dialogue with jester and harlequin, he doesn't speak either. of course, he's listening to jester, but he could also already be formulating a last resort plan in case everyone gets caged. one that had to be done now otherwise death got their hands of them, or perhaps... convincing himself he didn't actually care and felt nothing for columbina, telling himself he loved the thrill of their rage and hatred to lessen the emotional burden and overwhelm on himself?

"You know, my sweet flower..."

"Maybe it's not you I love."

"Maybe this feeling is something else. My heart beats for a different reason."

"Or maybe I just want what I can't have, if I do this, maybe then..."

it was lucky harlequin was the one who made that plan since everyone else was either unable to move, or so hungry they didn't have the strength to move anymore.

and remember how harlequin would prioritize surviving rather than the heart? if he was a heart-ruler like pierrot, chances are he wouldn't eat columbina, and they would've died. but he knew if they didn't eat something soon, they would all starve to death.

pierrot wouldn't do something like this – not that he could.

and when asked why he hates harlequin so much, this is his response:

though we haven't gotten any other incidents harlequin has done to irk such pure distate and bordeline hate from pierrot, the moonless night seems to be, as of recent, the main reason why pierrot and harlequin hate eachother. harlequin killed his lover.

(and well, to be frank, i don't think pierrot would be this mad at harlequin over let's say, him causing pierrot to crash the truck but harlequin's shenanigans towards pierrot definitely help make the fire of hatred in pierrot grow stronger.)

he couldn't focus on the wider reason behind it because he loved columbina, the one they killed. pierrot loved her. pined for her deeply. sighed for her. harlequin knows the deeper reasoning for the kill – they wanted to survive, and she was the weakest one.

he killed her, yes, but that doesn't mean he wasn't affected by her death.

let's go back to ripple effects the moonless night had on the rest of the troupe, specifically focusing on harlequin. let's also take another look at this ama answer:

"Everyone was broken, grieving and suffering, and he stepped forward, guided his new family."

now, keep that in mind (specifically that first part) because let's first analyze harlequin's present day actions and coping mechanisms that were ripple effects from the moonless night.

right off the bat, harlequin's intentions with mc.

if you follow harlequin into the tent, he initiates something inherently sexual (atleast it's implied to be, we know present day harlequin, hahaha ♡) before pierrot comes in and stabs him, letting us escape. if harlequin is indeed fucking fools in the tent (aka let's assume it canon for this analysis hahaha ( ੭ ˙ᗜ˙ )੭♡) and he does participate in one night stands with humans, then his intentions with us would be the same until later in the game where he might actually fall for the mc.

it's pretty clear that harlequin may not feel anything for the mc in the same way pierrot does immediately in the first few days . likewise, he wasn't immediately infactuated with columbina if we assume pierrot fell fast and harder, likely pursuing her for an ulterior motive (getting back at pierrot? attachment to pierrot that sprung internal jealousy? genuine love for columbina with an additional motive to get back at pierrot/relating to an attachment to pierrot?) just like with mc.

now, come back to the undertale comparison – using laughter or temporary, fleeting joy to cope with tragedy, hurt, pain and to shield oneself from damage. it's an inappropriate way to cope with emotional distress, even if they acknowledge that that's not funny. columbina's death wasn't funny, but harlequin laughed anyway. he smiled anyway.

apply it here too. clearly, columbina's death hit pierrot and harlequin the most. it hit everyone deeply and broke everyone for a while, yes, but pierrot and harlequin were hit with the largest blows... because they loved columbina.

pierrot still hates harlequin for what he did – killing his lover (and just from the fact that pierrot still hates harlequin's guts, that he knows the underlying reason of his hate for harlequin despite his constant annoying pierrot and making him upset, his feelings towards harlequin's actions are still strong regardless of whether he still loved columbina or not... which he doesn't, but it's justifiable that he still hates harlequin for what he did), and harlequin... is using temporary joy and relief to cope with the underlying emotional trauma gnawing at him.

harlequin placed himself into the role of the villain and went along with it for the sake of everyone else in his family. and the temporary joy thing applies to his shenanigans and constant hobby of annoying and teasing pierrot, making him angry and rage, down to stealing his new love interest.

(notice how in jester's retelling, there is no moonless night, and thus no way to justify harlequin's actions when he kills columbina. in mirror columbina's retelling, harlequin can be justified, and harlequin puts the blame equally on everyone in his own retelling – only jester leans into villainizing harlequin by removing the moonless night itseld. jester villainized harlequin in a way that makes everyone else think he's the villain... from jester's retelling. such a stark coincidence, huh? from the one who nudged harlequin to eat columbina in the first place.... but also jester clearly spun the tale into one akin to a fairytale to be able to tell it to his audience, mixing drops of the truth with lies, so...)

"Are your eyes on me? Uhg."

Is your hate on me?

"Hah... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Oh... Rage... Pain!! I love it... I LOVE IT!!"

Someone had to do it... obviously.

There's no turning back now.

No... no no no...

EAT!

this exaggeration of harlequin's sadism for the rage and annoyance pierrot has around him was exaggerated for the show, yes, but i don't think all of that was entirely false. i think harlequin did lean into the act of loving pierrot's (and maybe everyone's) rage in the long run. not immediately after the moonless night, he was broken too. most likely suffering and in anguish since he didn't take the initiative instead of or alongside jester like he was in the version told in ticket taker's tent.

but in truth, he didn't not care as much as he wanted to appear like he it. he was in just as much anguish as everyone else was in, probably not as much as pierrot but he wasn't immune to the pain like he wanted to appear as.

those one night stands he does with the fools, humans or otherwise? the constant bickering and seeking out to annoy pierrot? the manic laughter and seemingly joy after killing columbina?

it's a coping mechanism.

he's not as immune as he wants us to think. he doesn't not care unlike what he wants to look as. he seeks temporary bouts of pleasure and happiness to silence the gnawing darkness and emotional scars for just a moment.

he's... more sentimental than we thought.

= ･ׅ 𝜗℘ ･ׅ =

the hyeprfixation on harlequin is real... i've been having so many thoughts about this green man since i started looking deeper in the lines from scenes that described the moonless night. not sure if i have any more, but we'll see. ♡ additionally and finally, sincere apologies for any spelling errors and typos – this wasn't proofread, ahahaha. ♡

additional thoughts : ֹ🗨️🪡 ၄၃ႄˑ ˳

– oh my god harlequin's an anti-villain. (an anti-villain does wrong things for what they believe are the right reasons, blurring the line between good and evil.)

– notice how in jester's retelling, there is no moonless night, and thus no way to justify harlequin's actions when he kills columbina. in mirror columbina's retelling, harlequin can be justified, and harlequin puts the blame equally on everyone in his own retelling – only jester leans into villainizing harlequin. jester villainized harlequin in a way that makes everyone else think he's the villain... from jester's retelling. such a stark coincidence, huh? from the one who nudged harlequin to eat columbina in the first place.... but also jester clearly spun the tale into one akin to a fairytale to be able to tell it to his audience, mixing drops of the truth with lies, so...

[readersofthevoid]

Why Harlequin torments Pierrot

So. Why did Harlequin decide to be such an ass to Pierrot throughout all this time? Was it solely for attention? Pettiness?

Try to put yourself in his shoes for a moment. Immediately after Columbina was consumed, after the ringleader was killed and they seized control of the circus, everyone finally got the time to start processing what happened.

Everyone responds to grief differently. But somebody like Pierrot? Somebody who is based on the sad, lovesick clown of the Commedia Dell'arte? He would've lost all motivation. He would've been in a near catatonic state afterwards. What's the point of living if his sweetheart wasn't in his life anymore? He can hardly even believe that his childhood friend would do such a thing either, even if it was the only way. He would be in denial about Harlequin. He wouldn't want to believe that he actually did that. I think he wouldn't even be able to get out of bed in the beginning, no matter how much the rest of them tried to cheer him up (if they were even in the right state of mind to attempt that, that is.)

Harlequin must've seen that and known that he would lose Pierrot too if he didn't do something. After the traumatising ordeal of having to eat somebody he cared for, he would do anything in his power to prevent losing another member of his newfound family. I'm sure that Jester taking on the role of a leader did help in some ways, but it wouldn't have given Pierrot any kind of outlet.

He had already done something unforgivable. He might as well don the title of "Villain" and torment Pierrot if only to see the life return in his eyes, give him a reason to live. Even if that reason is just to get revenge on him.

Atleast then, Pierrot would be okay. Atleast then, he would make sure his former friend made it another day. Even if it hurt him. This was better than the alternative. This was his cross to bear.

He would gladly be Pierrot's punching bag. It's what he deserves, after all.

[emannthim]

Themes of TFC - my quick thoughts

TW: I am discussing topics related to abuse, sex, and violence all combined. This is purely speculative and just my opinion. **Please proceed with caution**

Truthfully, it took me a long second to get a good grasp on what I think the themes of TFC were. A first, I was worried it was going for themes of racism/xenophobia. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case (in case you don't get my concern: themes of race so rarely work in any kind of predator/prey dynamic where the minority is the predator because it gives irrational discrimination a rational reason).

Themes like found family, types of love, who is good & what is goodness, what is right, the right to live (my personal fav), forgiveness, abuse & all it's forms, and loss of identity could all work as themes I could explore. But I want to cover the one I think is the biggest.

The cycle of abuse.

The vn addresses the trauma regarding the abuse under the circus master and the resulting consumption of Columbina the most. The story has already been told from many perspectives and will continue to be told from many more. It is shown to affect every single member and arguably every single choice. Perhaps it was the most impactful moment of their lives (we don't know yet). It's especially interesting for me because every retelling adds more and tweaks more information, both painting a clearer and foggier picture.

Part 1: How were they affected

No circus member is healed. In fact, each character seems to fit a certain state a victimhood. Listed in order of certainty.

Pierrot: Searching for a loss sense of self-worth; "Crazy Ex"

He is the crazy ex, the desperate girlfriend that appears in so much media its borderline pathological. You can see it as far back as ancient Greece with Medea in Jason and the golden fleece and Euripides's Medea, or as recent as this year in Fennell's Wuthering Heights (gross). A woman is willing to destroy and degrade herself for her chosen man, and in the worse writing there is no method/reasoning behind her madness. At best, she is a broken traumatized women who would be overjoyed to receive the "I can fix him!" speech, but, of course, would never get it. She has the good girl traits: unfalteringly loyal and willing (often sexually). But she's too easy. Too much. Too everything, really. And that's wrong. She's ill-adjusted and undesirable because of it.

A majority of the time, she never gets what she wants. She chases the dragon, and like most addicts will unfortunately find out, it will never feel as good as it did the first time as her craziness drives away the one she loves the most. Pierrot will probably fall down this path in the routes not centered on his affection. But even in the best routes, he shows a concerning amount of self-delusion in accordance with his yandere traits.

He craves love but acts like he doesn't deserve the love he chases. He wants you to pick him, but after everything (and perhaps due to a sense of undeserving seeing as he couldn't even protect his first beloved) If you ask me, so many women who fall into this category would be classified as yanderes if the women were allowed to be more assertive, but that's a whole other conversation.

Harlequin: self-harm/self-destruction though sex; "Sexy Slut"

Interestingly enough, Harlequin is really given a form of classical female* victimhood (I will discuss the more "male" version with TT). While he's not very feminine, he represents promiscuity as a trauma response, which is almost a female-excusive trope. Sure, men are allowed to be sexually active as a result of trauma, especially in modern media. But almost always, the sex is not portrayed as damaging in and of itself. Sex is a way to regain control, but she's spiraling down the drain, only hurting herself more by engaging in these activities. While the man is not further damaging himself with sex, it is only soothing coping mechanism or a trauma response. Like Bridgerton's "rakes."

Which is why it's so interesting that, in my view, Harlequin's sexual promiscuity is portrayed as damaging. His sexual conquests only seem to isolate himself father as he engages in unsafe sex (i.e. dubious consent and a lack of aftercare). He seeks no lasting relationships, not even comfort, really. He wants sex, so he has sex. Nothing beyond that. The most intimate relationship he seems to have his with Pierrot, but it's a relationship fueled on complicated feelings and negative emotions. Yet he continually seeks it out in a way that reads as self-harm. The more he encourages this relationship with Pierrot, the more destructive it gets until it might become unsalvageable. Even Pierrot has limits, even if Harlequin is part of his found family. This seems to stem from the consumption of Columbia as shown in the mirror Columbia story on day 2, as if he can't have love, he'll have hate. So long as he has something.

But when the MC offers him genuine thanks, he freaks out. He is given something he can take from Pierrot. He could take the MC's care from Pierrot; the chance was right there. But he doesn't. It's such a fascinating moment for him!!! It's too intimate. Too much. His sexual promiscuity is shown as isolating as he only makes more extreme innuendos the more genuine MC tries to be. He can't accept it!

Now, despite what you may think, I don't think promiscuity is shown as explicitly bad. But I do think it is shown as a method of self-harm. An all A is B, not all B is A kinda situation.

*In truth, I think he does fit both traditional female and male promiscuity, even if I lean towards traditionally female, which is why I don't give any media examples.

Jester: Revenge and control, possible hubris; "Sleeping Dragon"

His is the ringmaster. The Dark Vater or just purely a villain hidden in shadows sending out minions. He hides his trauma in the deepest recesses of himself. If anything, I see Jester as having hubris equal to Icarus. He is more driven than anyone else, and he will do anything to get what he wants. But I don't know if he's going to be characterized as all-knowing, all-intelligent and completely just in his actions (God I hope not) or more blinded by his visions of the world. But either way, he was the one who rose to the occasion and built the circus, for better or worse.

While I know everyone thinks he dislikes humans the most, I can't bring myself to fully agree. I think he dehumanizes all of humanity to such a point that he can't surpass TT's clear dislike of humans. His performance is so different from all others, and so focused on the wrong thing. He wasn't focused on the starvation that drove him to his actions, but more focused on the group dynamics. If anything, he places most of the blame on Harlequin. This is part of the reason I think what I think.

(I find TT's worship of Jester kinda funny for this reason. Like dude he's just as fucked up as you are. Arguable more. I don't get those two at alll)

I think he sees humans more like ants or cockroaches. So long as you don't let those "disgusting" animals get the upper hand, they're not worth his consideration. He has more important things to focus on, like his circus and found family. I think he "treats" himself with fool abuse or his fantasies of a human zoo. Its retribution. He is taking pleasure in revenge while minimizing the impact/scars left on him by reducing humans to what he was reduced to. While he is in no way, shape, or form the only one doing that,

Ticket Taker: Control (obvs); "Stuck-up Assistant"

Compared to Harlequin, TT is repented as having a more classic male-stereotyped victimhood. (Which, thinking about it now, it's probably why he's my least favorite. I've never been a fan this...genre? Type of male personality?) Think of every other traumatized male lead or think of the "Christian Grey" phenomenon. There broken and given stereotypically OCD-like compulsions for control. He needs everything perfect represented with his nice clothes and tidy houses. Rarely do you ever see women filling this trope. While TT doesn't fit the resulting need to be fixed or whatever, he does match the beginning personality.

He experiences a traumatizing situation where is life was no longer in his hands. So instead of searching for love or distancing himself from it, but instead he took control over himself and his surroundings.

His focus is dominance. He wants control over everything: himself, others and his surroundings shown his need for obedience and neatness. His need for control spirals to the point of submission to his desires, in a way. Which is where his need for control is different than Jester: he needs control over his life, while Jester needs control over his situations. I think he idolizes Jester, maybe he even sees him as superior. Or maybe not. Either way, his need for control limits himself, which is where Jester surpasses him.

Compared to Jester, I think he sees humans as more equal than he would ever like to admit. That helplessness is so engrained in him, and just knowing what humans had forced him to turn to (consumption of Columbia) has made him so much more antsy around them.

(Note: I really struggle to understand TT and Jesters feelings regarding people. These are my current, very fallible, thoughts and they might change with updates)

Doctor: Distraction? fixation? Repression? (unsure) "Mad Scientist"

I'm going to be honest; there's not much for me to latch on to. But a lack of answer is still an answer. He appears almost absentminded, focused on his toys first and foremost, which lacks the clear connection to Columbia that the others have. Maybe instead, he tries to distance himself from it, pushing everything down until it forces itself right back up as seen in his tent. This could be a form of repression.

Maybe he's a character that forces everything down until he bursts. Perhaps he keeps his trauma understated.

I don't have the clearest picture, so I will wait for an update to make a solid opinion.

Part Two: how they affect others.

I have discussed how their trauma with the circus master has manifested, but what about the cycle and abuse part? You may be asking. Fear not, I have more to say.

In most medias that have themes regarding the cycle of abuse, its about breaking the cycle of abuse.

The freak circus doesn't do that.

It's about how they've continued it. They changed from the victim become the abuser. They are not in the right!

I will not address the ethics of human consumption: that is more for other themes (cough cough who has the right to live) but just know I don't think they should starve to death.

That being said, they do not have the right to torture, kidnap, (and potentially rape based on some AMA's) people. Your trauma doesn't give you the right to inflict it on other people, which is something many parents have to learn. Most medias would instead give the excuse: Oh! But they only hurt bad people >:(. So now it's okay!

No. Carol is a member, which shows us that even good people could become victims. The fact that she's of a darker skin tone really reinforces that. In my American mind, they aren't going after the privileged, but instead the exact opposite. They go for people like Carol: disadvantaged and without a support system. People who the police wouldn't focus on and society wouldn't miss. Its brutal and depressing.

This is why I like this VN. They are monsters in all sense of the word and it's not being shied away from with meaningless platitudes. They were hurt and abused, and so now they abuse other people who were just as innocent as they were.

NONE of them feel bad about this. Not even Pierrot. Yes, I know he's our baby boy/j but he has killed people. He also participated in the consumption of Columbia. He would eat us if we don't help him. I've drawn the bad end because it shows so much about him! He doesn't care for the fools. He can help Carol but only will because it will get him in our good graces. He doesn't care for humanity as a whole. Same with every single member.

They continue the cycle of abuse. Every. Single. One. This is so unbelievably fascinating. This doesn't appear to be the kind of story where everything turns out okay. The circus members are so stuck in their trauma, constantly retelling the same trauma of the worst night of their life over and over and over again. Night after night, they relive their own versions of that night. It only further proves how stuck in their ways they are. Plus, they need people to work at the circus. They need their privacy from human society. They need to eat. Perhaps they could have figured a less abusive method for running the circus, but it's too late now! The damage has been done.

They have turned their victimhood into either a shield (or a target in Pierrot and the MC's case) and are reenacting the same abuse onto others.

And then the MC. Stuck in the middle of that shitshow. I don't know if they can have a perfect happy ending. They have to sacrifice something. I suppose it will be the players choice what that is.

Note: Please excuse any spelling mistakes, I typed this in one sitting and I'm not reading though this. Idk I'm just having big thoughts right now. Thank you for reading!