John Kepler

John is one of the core characters of **Between Failures**, who works at the like the Megatainment store alongside the other core characters. He initially works in the Games area.

## Appearance

### **Physique**

John is of average height, and well built. He appears Caucasian, although he sometimes appears slightly more tanned than the other characters. He has dark brown eyes, and is drawn with a relatively large, upturned nose.

He has messy, mid-length hair, which often hangs slightly over his left eye. He wears a roughly-styled goatee to match, but hasn't joined Thomas and Ed in growing sideburns. He does, however, have very prominent eyebrows. It seems likely he actually puts some effort into his appearance, to achieve a look he probably considers roguishly handsome (not that the others always agree).

### **Clothing**

When working at the store, John wears a similar 'uniform' to most of the other male staff. However, he doesn't appear to roll up his shirt sleeves, and typically doesn't leave his shirt unbuttoned (suggesting a short-sleeved polo shirt, in contrast to the dress shirts worn by Thomas and Ed).

He has a brown jacket we occasionally see him wear over his uniform.

## Job Role

John appears to work full-time at the store, and is initially in charge of the Games department.

## Relationships

### **Friendships**

#### Thomas

John appears to have been friends with Thomas for a number of years. They seemingly met at the store, with John having been hired by a previous manager to replace Thomas. However, John came to respect Thomas as a worthy rival (and ultimately, friend). As such, John is one of the few employees not hired by Thomas.

During many early strips they casually insult each other while but also discussing movies and games. They subsequently roughhouse and fight a proxy battle for Jess' phone number, although John is ultimately disappointed. During the battle, he declares that Thomas "*...is a dick, and I hate him, but he's still my friend*".

Thomas subsequently turns off the store lights, forcing John to publicly admit that "*Thomas Blackwell runs Bartertown*" ...over the store PA. Judging by Nina's comment on a preceding page, they have pulled this stunt before, with John winning at least once. She also subsequently notes they routinely humiliate each other and question each other's sexuality.

#### Carol

John appears to be friends with Carol, and treats her in some ways similarly to how he treats Thomas. He is willing to make her try a new (dubious) soda, although he may not be expecting her to get her revenge. We know that they have worked together for as long as she has been at the store.

Unfortunately for him, John has a great tendency to put his foot in his mouth and provoke her. He seems to come off worst in a lot of their exchanges. She isn't adverse to pulling rank over him occasionally for her own amusement.

#### Jo

John seems to have developed a casual friendship, most likely as a result of taking their smoke breaks together. From his comments in an early strip, it is apparent they probably didn't know each other before working at the store.

### **Other**

#### Ed

We don't often see John and Ed interact in the comic. At the end of the first day, there appears to be some gentle friction between them, although this may simply be due to Ed's often touchy nature. Thomas is seemingly able to calm matters, although John still makes several 'short jokes' after the fact.

#### Nina

John doesn't appear to have any particularly close friendship with Nina. They seem to get along ok, albeit like the other staff she periodically teases him. She tries to encourage him to be friends with the other (new) staff.

## Personality

### **Behavior**

John seems fairly laid back, and doesn't usually express any firm opinions (except in jest). He is sometimes somewhat blunt, although seemingly without ill-feeling.

### **Self-image / Beliefs**

John doesn't often express his thoughts or feelings. However, we know he perceives that working at the store (or in a similar job) is his lot in life.

### **Hobbies & Interests**

John is part of a small group (informally referred to on this Wiki as the Ghost Hunters) including Thomas, Jo, and some of the other characters. They engage in occasional urban exploration and hunts for paranormal activity. Although no context is given at the time, in hindsight an early comic seemingly makes reference to John's less-than-stoic behaviour on a hunt from before the comic's start date.

### **Food, Drink & Drugs**

John smokes, and initially seems ambivalent about the consequences. Curiously, his smoking and Jo's is illustrated in different styles, with John's more suggestive of sitting with (but not actively smoking) a lit cigarette. However, he later discusses the possibility of quitting with Jo.

## Trivia

* John is the only one of the six 'core' characters not to appear on the front cover of the comic (despite being featured earlier on in the story than Jo).
* Early on in the comic (when the some of the characters 'spoke' in different fonts) John used Veranda (or possibly Helvetica). He may share this font (or a very similar one) with Ed, possibly as they don't often appear together.
* Jackie has previously mentioned that some of his characters have 'ear numbers' (as discussed on a 2017 podcast with Moonhawk Studios Presents. While the full list has never been revealed, John's was revealed by Jackie to be 3, referencing a similar character (JFK) in 'Clone High'.

## References

1. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/107-weak-plan
2. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/282-and-my-axe
3. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/144-men-of-honour
4. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/145-how-it-begins
5. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/49-objectification
6. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/53-battle-for-the-fun-of-it
7. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/62-who-runs-bartertown
8. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/61-embargo
9. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/81-phoenix-wrong
10. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/340-queer-eye-for-the-jedi
11. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/91-sweet-warm-liquid-fail
12. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/107-weak-plan
13. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/159-retort
14. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/164-dog-wont-hunt
15. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/268-because-i-said-so
16. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/124-silence-is-golden
17. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/283-master-holbyta
18. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/288-no-kissinger
19. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/271-a-cookie-for-coping
20. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/289-buddy-buddy
21. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/107-weak-plan
22. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/276-value-added
23. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/186-havent
24. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/747-delegation
25. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/47-fluids
26. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/120-dont-care-2
27. ↑ http://betweenfailures.com/comics1/123-i-like-to-watch-2
28. ↑ https://youtu.be/NWCHoJcrblU?t=1h5m23s
29. ↑ http://msp.starshipmoonhawk.com/
30. ↑ http://clonehigh.wikia.com/wiki/JFK