Jack Barter

Slenderman (Connie)

Cyka (Felix)

Pal (Patrick)

That Guy (Patrick)

The Coroner (Pearl)

Intern (Rachel)

Amateur Detective (Tad)

Clout-Chasing, Credit Stealing (Jim)

**Jack Barter** is an overconfident legal student currently in his junior year at Gladio University. While Jack's goal is to become a lawyer, he has more of a knack for being an investigator. Occasionally calling himself a "freelance detective", Jack spends most of his free time looking for cold cases to solve.

Not afraid to break the rules to get what he wants, Jack is not above theft or other crimes to prove himself as a worthy opponent to the city's investigators and lawyers.

## Physical Appearance & Design

Jack is extremely tall, thin, and lanky with a larger than average nose. He has a penchant for wearing flashy colors, including a pink shirt and trademark bright red jacket. While in class, Jack carries a leather messenger bag adorned with a red diamond.

Jack's design was intentionally made to make him stand out in a crowd. His almost startling height combined with the unusual colors he wears was meant to draw attention to him amongst the other characters in the main cast.

## Personality

Jack is arrogant, snarky, and brash. Never one to pass up the opportunity to speak his mind, Jack rarely filters his true thoughts and tells it exactly like it is. He has a seemingly endless arsenal of cutting quips and one-liners at his disposal, ready and waiting to take down anyone who should push back.

Underneath his rough exterior lies a brilliant and passionate young man with a genuine thirst for solving mysteries. Jack claims to only defend those in need as a means to an end of proving he's the best, but when push comes to shove he truly cares about making sure criminals face justice.

## History

### Before the start of the series

In 2018, Jack began his first year as a legal student at Gladio University. In-between that time and 2020, he at some point began stealing cold case files from the local Boston investigators. It's also during this time period that he meets Rachel Lumen.

### The Fallen Fugitive

In late 2020, Jack is pinned as the prime suspect when a body is found on the steps of Gladio University. It's during this incident that he reunites with Nolan Vice, Bianca Snow, Cole Snow, and Beau Bleu.

### Ray of Sunshine

Some time in 2020, Jack makes plans to meet Rachel Lumen after class to discuss a case. When Jack doesn't show up, Rachel ambushes him at the crime scene. Jack defends himself claiming he never said *where* they would meet. When Rachel angrily says she wants to talk to a real lawyer, Jack reluctantly introduces her to Nolan.

Jack openly berates both Nolan and Rachel as the two become acquainted and discuss Stella Lumen's case. When Rachel sarcastically suggests Jack should go bother "that guy", he makes a sly comment revealing the man's identity is Beau, the Head Investigator. Rachel storms off to confront Beau which greatly amuses Jack. When Nolan questions Jack on this, he brushes it off, only casually responding to Beau's cry for help.

### Last Stop - Part 1

Later that same year, Jack and Nolan, alongside Felix Luckless, board a bus to Unity Park driven by Patrick Riarque. Upon attempting to pay for his fare, Nolan drops his phone prompting Jack to mock him with a crude impression. As the two make their way to the back of the bus, they encounter Connie Dali who tries to con the pair.

While trying to help Connie, Nolan realizes his wallet is missing and frantically goes to search for it, leaving Jack alone with Connie. Jack quickly unravels Connie's scheme, only to have her attack him. Embarrassed by being physically bested by a child, Jack quickly changes tact to point out that Nolan's wallet was likely stolen. Before he can act, the bus arrives at Unity Park. Jack dashes toward the front to prevent the passengers from leaving.

He launches an investigation, questioning Felix, Connie, and two additional passengers, Claire Lee and Eddie Hemm. Patrick threatens to call the transit investigators, Julian Philips and Varian Morse, if Jack doesn't let up to which Jack replies that he knows exactly who has the wallet.

### Last Stop - Part 2

**This section contains spoilers**

Jack asks the passengers to think about who could have possibly taken the wallet, if not themselves. When only Nolan seems to understand, Jack reveals that Patrick is the true thief. Patrick denies any involvement in the crime, prompting Jack to try and convince the passengers. Before he can definitively persuade anyone, Jack is ambushed by the transit investigators and almost arrested. The other passengers plead with the investigators to let Jack go when a vital clue is discovered on Nolan's phone. They oblige and Jack puts together the final piece of the puzzle, discovering Patrick has a son with terminal cancer. Jack deduces Patrick's motive for stealing the wallet was to take Nolan's health insurance card, proven by information available on the bus company's website stating that drivers are not entitled to insurance.

In a rare moment of humility, Jack gives Patrick the opportunity to quietly confess to the crime, sparing him any public shame. When Patrick refuses, Jack reveals the truth of the crime in front of the entire bus. Upon Patrick's confession, Jack urges the investigators to take away the true criminal, but Nolan states he won't be pressing charges. Frustrated thinking a criminal will get away, Jack openly argues with Nolan's decision and angrily leaves the bus. Later on when Nolan comes to find him, he questions Jack about the whereabouts of his father to which Jack laughs and bitterly replies he wishes his father was dead.

### Hidden Gem

**This section contains spoilers**

A month or so after the events of Last Stop - Part 1 and Last Stop - Part 2, Jack catches wind of a new murder case at Diamandis Fine Jewelry. Posing as a coroner, Jack launches his own investigation of the incident before the investigators can. Upon arriving at the scene, Jack discovers the victim, Pearl Diamandis, is actually still alive. Promising to keep her secret safe, Jack leaves Pearl be and continues with his survey of the scene. Eventually, once he pieces everything together, Jack leaves the scene of the crime and is interviewed by Tad Bloyd.

## Skills

Jack is an incredibly skilled mystery-solver, easily putting together small details about a crime. He is an expert when it comes to establishing connections between clues and finding things others may miss. He can also be very persuasive and has a knack for squeezing the truth out of even the most reluctant culprits.

## Relationships

### Nolan Vice

Jack and Nolan have a very strained relationship, with Jack often using Nolan as his own personal verbal punching bag. While Nolan sees a lot of potential in Jack and wants to help him advance his career, Jack typically wants nothing to do with him and only sticks with him because he needs a lawyer by his side to keep taking on cases.

### Rachel Lumen

Jack and Rachel are definitely not what you'd call friends. Both have a distinct dislike of the other, often openly being combative. Rachel sees Jack as a serious rival and threat to her and generally just dislikes his cocky attitude. Jack likewise can't stand Rachel's overachieving and know-it-all behavior. The two are in constant conflict, especially when being forced to work together on a case or in class.

### Beau Bleu

Beau and Jack have a strong dislike of each other which manifests in different ways. Beau frequently gets angry and even aggressive with Jack, whereas Jack purposefully sets him off, taunting him or calling him names. Beau is constantly looking for a reason to finally arrest Jack and keep him from getting the better of himself and his investigators, even going so far as to say he's going to get Jack on jaywalking.

### **Bianca Snow**

Jack and Bianca have a professional, if not a bit awkward, relationship. Bianca certainly shares in Jack's distaste for how Beau does his job and will sometimes even join him in a joke at Beau's expense, but she also knows Jack is a serious threat to the work she does. Particularly as shown in Hidden Gem, Bianca is aware of the impact Jack has on her team and wants to put an end to it.

### Chai

Jack and Chai have a close bond, both being outsiders. Jack is drawn in by Chai's aloof personality, often thinking of her as the one mystery he can't quite solve. Likewise, Chai is impressed with Jack's deductive abilities. While not explicitly shown, concept art and other non-canon material has implied that the two have a romantic relationship.

### Monica Barter

Jack and his mother have a close relationship. Monica is typically the only person Jack truly lets his guard down around.

### Unnamed Father

While not directly shown in the series so far, it's been outrightly stated that Jack does not have a good relationship with his father. In Last Stop - Part 2, he even goes so far as to say he wishes his father were dead.

## Name Origin

Jack's name is a play on "a jack of all trades". His last name, Barter, is synonym for the act of trading.

## Trivia

* Jack was the first character from the series to be officially revealed in October of 2019
* Jack has stated on multiple occasions that he doesn't have a drivers license and refuses to learn how to drive
* While not formally shown in the series yet, concept art has shown that Jack will eventually get a dog
* Jack is currently the only bisexual male character in the series

## Gallery

Jack model sheetJack expression sheetYoung JackJack concept artJack alt poseAn early beta design of JackJack pinJack pin concept art