"I really did believe I was a sinner. So I thought I had to atone for my sins..." — Jacob to Sean in "Faith"
Jacob Samuel Hackerman (born November 6th, 1996), also known as Jake, is a character in Life is Strange 2. During Episode 3, he is met by Sean Diaz and Daniel Diaz at a campsite in Humboldt County, California. He was part of a community of drifters and worked at an illegal cannabis plantation.
- To visit Jacob's tent, click here.
Personality[]
Jacob is a fairly reserved and shy, yet easygoing and kind-natured boy. Though he was raised in a religious environment, Jacob began questioning his faith after being forced to undergo conversion therapy and left his community to seek answers. He appears to enjoy casual photography, as he owns a camera which he often carried around and used to take photos of the other drifters at the campsite.[1] He describes himself as disliking being alone due to being "used to having people around".[2]
It is revealed in Episode 4 that Jacob is homosexual and his old community had been putting him through gay conversion therapy. This led him to become depressed and paranoid, manifesting into a suicide attempt.
Appearance[]
Jacob has short, dark brown hair, a mustache, and a beard. During the day, he wears a graphic t-shirt, a green bandana, and khaki pants. At night, he wears a plaid, red flannel.
In Episode 4, we see him in a formal t-shirt and jeans, with his hair cut back and his face shaved.
Background[]
Jacob was raised in a small community with his father, mother, and nine-year-old sister, Sarah Lee Hackerman. After Pastor Lisbeth Fischer founded Haven Point, his parents decided to move west in order to join her. When the community was built, Jacob was assigned to live in a large house shared between four families. He states his worst memory is when he lost his faith. He confides in the others at the camp that he used to be a "sheep" - a true believer - but he started doubting himself, which caused the community and his own family to see him as trouble. After being discovered as liking boys, Jacob was encouraged by his parents and Lisbeth to undergo conversion therapy. He began praying constantly and stopped hanging out with other people, boys and girls alike, causing him to become depressed and paranoid. Upon finding out that Jacob had "tried to hurt [himself]" one day, Lisbeth had a long conversation with Jacob before advising him to leave the community and figure things out. In "Wastelands," he says that he left Haven Point to try and find himself, but won't go back there unless he gets a signal from God.
Episode Three - "Wastelands"[]
After exiting his tent, Sean can come across Jacob writing a letter by his tent to his nine-year-old sister. Jacob asks Sean for advice on how to end the letter, and he can tell him to either write "Thinking of you", draw hearts and unicorns (resulting in him drawing the former), or draw something she’d like (resulting in him drawing her pet chicken, Alexander).
After returning from the pot farm at sunset, Sean can visit Jacob’s tent, where he can find Jacob’s finished letter his sister Sarah with Sean’s advised ending. However, the letter’s writing overlaps with the address line, and the word "POSTCARD" and the stamp area are thoroughly scribbled out in pen.
That night, during Finn’s game of who can tell the worst memory at the campfire, Jacob reveals that he grew up in a small community in Haven Point, Nevada and was once very religious. He explains that he lost his faith as his experiences led him to doubt himself, and that as a result, he felt lost. After the game, Jacob signs off for the night and heads back to his tent.
The next day, during their payday at Merrill's house, Jacob witnesses Daniel using his telekinesis to throw a plate at Big Joe alongside Cassidy, Finn, and Sean. That night, Jacob watches in awe as Daniel demonstrates his powers to the group of four and hesitates once asked by Sean to keep them a secret. He asks how long they're planning to hide his powers and questions whether they were given to him for a reason, then reassures the others that he won't tell anyone and heads back to the campsite.
During the Diaz brothers' going-away party, Sean can find Jacob sitting with Hannah and Daniel around the campfire. While speaking with her, Hannah reveals that she saw Jacob praying to himself; Sean has the option of asking whether he's alright, to which he responds that he's fine and just thinking. After Hannah asks whether the two want to be left alone, Jacob responds that he'd like to be, causing Sean to leave.
Episode Four - "Faith"[]
While in Sacred Hope Hospital, Sean finds a message in his notebook by Jacob, who had taken Daniel to Haven Point and had told Karen Reynolds about Daniel. While in Karen's motel room, Sean calls Jacob, who says they should meet the next day. At the meeting, Sean can be angry at him or understanding before they devise a plan to get Daniel out as well as Jacob's sister, Sarah Lee, who is sick with pneumonia. It is revealed in this episode, when Sean and Jacob are sneaking into Lisbeth Fischer's office, that the event which caused Jacob to "lose his faith" was because his parents had been forcing him to undergo gay conversion therapy via Lisbeth, thinking he had a demon inside, which Jacob also thought. He believed for many of the first years that he was wrong and a sinner for his sexuality, even attempting to hurt himself. After his attempt, he had a long chat with Lisbeth, who was very upset and told him that he needed to get away from the community to figure things out. This journey would eventually lead him to the Trimmigrants and Merrill's farm. After managing to either avoid Nicholas Durand or getting caught by him, Jacob leaves to find his sister. Following the end of Lisbeth's hold over Daniel, he parts ways with Sean, Daniel and Karen. It is presumed that he will take Sarah Lee to a hospital afterwards.
Episode Five - "Wolves "[]
Sometime later, Jacob sends Sean a letter informing him of how he and his sister are doing. He also reveals that his parents don't know where they are and even though he misses them, he decided not to tell them where he and Sarah Lee are.
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Sarah Lee - Jacob used to have a close relationship with his sister before he left, and describes her as the one he misses the most. She owns a pet chicken named Alexander, whom Jacob finds creepy but Sarah loves. After leaving their community, Jacob can express to Sean that he's "afraid Sarah's a bit mad at [him] for leaving her". In Episode four "Faith" we meet her and find out how strong their bond is when he goes through with breaking and entering to prove she is sick and get her help.
Friends[]
- Sean Diaz - Sean and Jacob are good friends. While working together on the pot farm with the community drifters, they appear to get along well with each other and have conversations together. Jacob helps Sean on his mission to rescue to Daniel from the cult in his hometown at Haven Point, Nevada. Jacob also confides in Sean about his sexuality, and how he struggled to accept himself for a few years as did his family and community, whilst Sean expresses his sympathy and listens to his friend about what he had gone through. During their mission, they are also shown to work well together as a team.
- Daniel Diaz - After Daniel revealed his powers in front of Jacob, Cassidy, and Finn in Merrill’s house, Jacob was fascinated by them and thought he found his faith again. After the heist at Merrill’s house, Daniel returned to the camp where Jacob packed a few belongings and left with Daniel to Haven Point so they could escape the police. Jacob later leaves Sean a note in his sketch book to let him know that Daniel is safe with him in Haven Point. Sean, Jacob and Karen came up with a plan to rescue Daniel and Sarah’s Lee from the cult.
- Hannah - (TBC)
- Finn - (TBC)
- Karen Reynolds - Jacob wrote a letter to Karen’s P.O. Box telling her that Daniel is with him in Haven Point, but believed that he is no longer safe in his community, and let her know that Daniel needs her help to escape the cult. Karen replies to Jacob’s letter which expressed her gratitude for letting her know about her sons’ situation, and tells him that she is on her way to Haven Point. However, Lisbeth stole the letter and kept in her house so that Jacob would not find it. Sean, Jacob and Karen worked together as a team to help Daniel and Sarah Lee escape with them from the cult.
Theories[]
- Main article: Theories and Speculations (Life is Strange 2)
- Following Daniel’s escape from Merrill’s house at the end of Episode 3, some theorized that Jacob either kidnapped or coerced him into heading back to his religious community in Nevada.[3][4] During their conversation at the campfire, Jacob tells the group that he isn’t planning on going back to his family in Haven Point, Nevada until he receives a “sign from God”. After learning of Daniel’s abilities, Jacob states that they must have been given to him for a reason and that the drifters might be meant to guide him. He goes on to act visibly lost in thought at the following party, and Hannah mentions that she saw him praying. In Episode 4’s title card, prominent billboards advertising Nevada companies can be seen. Additionally, the achievements for Episode 4 and 5 make several references to religious terms and iconography.
- During the campfire, Jacob states that his old religious community had an “intense” female reverend. Some fans speculated[4] this reverend to either be Karen Reynolds, who shows several signs of interest in spirituality within her room and caused her devoutly Christian mother, Claire Reynolds, to disown her for reasons unknown; or Karen's pen pal, Emma, who mentions living in a "boring" area and having a large family, possibly either in reference to the community or due to contraception being against their religion. This was proven incorrect in Episode 4 where it is revealed that the reverend is Lisbeth Fischer, who has no connections to Karen or Emma.
Memorable Quotes[]
- "What if he has those powers for a reason? Maybe it's our job to help him, too. Guide him..."
- — Jacob to Sean in "Wastelands"
- "I always showed more interest in boys than girls... They thought I was a freak. A sinner."
- — Jacob to Sean in "Faith"
- "I just prayed all the time... and stopped hanging out with boys... girls... everybody. I got depressed, paranoid..."
- — Jacob to Sean in "Faith" (determinant)
- "After a few years... I was in a really bad place... I-I tried to hurt myself. Lisbeth was very upset. We had a long chat... She told me I should leave, go see the world and figure things out. I-I don't really get her, Sean... but Lisbeth does believe in all this stuff..."
- — Jacob to Sean in "Faith"
- "I'm sorry I brought Daniel here... I was just so blown away when I saw what he could do... it was like a real miracle... I-I thought I... I had found my faith again... instead I... I just hurt him..."
- — Jacob to Sean in "Faith"
Trivia[]
- Jacob's zodiac sign is Scorpio.
- According to his file, Jacob refused to compete in sports and was often "secretive". A note is also attached to the file, written by Jacob asking a boy named Bruce to meet him again in a parking lot at 11pm and signed with "J. xo".
Gallery[]
Photos[]
Screenshots[]
References[]
- ↑ Sean's internal thoughts on Jacob's camera in his tent
- ↑ Conversation with Sean - Episode 3, "Rise and Shine"
- ↑ keeping-tabs: "Tonight in wild speculation: what’s the deal with Jacob? (Possible spoilers ahead)"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 /u/exotic_hang_glider: "Anyone get this vibe from Jacob?"