As promised, going to do a few weekly blog posts to introduce Love Notes characters. Let’s start with the two protagonists, Rachel and Jesse. Check the game’s Kickstarter here.

Rachel Bailey
Age: 21

At first glance, Rachel seems to be doing quite well for herself. After all, as the ‘face’ of her band, Spectral Howl, people assume she has the world at her feet. However, this could be the furthest from the truth.

Going all the way back to elementary school, Rachel is a rather shy person. She would rather read a book than play with the other kids. However, her distance stance actually drew the attention of Jesse. A bit of a class clown, Jesse did his best to make her laugh and more often than not he succeeded.

All of the shyness disappears when Rachel gets on stage and loses herself in the music. It is still a bit of a surprise that the innumerable violin lessons she took as child would serve her in good stead in her current career.

When she graduated high school, Rachel was at loose ends. Though her parents heavily encouraged her to go to university, going back to school was the furthest thing from Rachel’s mind and she only lasted a semester. Instead, she flitted from job to job, never finding anything strong enough to hold her interest.

This all changed when Jesse performed at an open mike night at a bar she was currently working at as a waitress. For months, Jesse was not at his best, and as his best friend, Rachel was quite concerned. However, when Jesse started to play, Rachel felt a stirring within her breast, and quickly joined him on stage. The reaction from the crowd showed this could be a path the two of them could take.

However, what goes up can also come down. The first problem occurred when Rachel found out one of their bandmates was selling drugs on the side, using each gig as a way to expand their network. If this wasn’t enough, another bandmate left when they accused Rachel of trying to steal Jesse from them.

This came as a total shock to Rachel. For one thing, she and Jesse were good friends, nothing else. For another, Rachel didn’t even know the two people were romantically together.

If this wasn’t bad enough, Rachel’s also been suffering horrible dreams. She can’t remember much about them other than the iron tang of blood in her mouth from when she bit her lips.

Despite all this, now that Rachel found her passion, she is going to try to keep it alive at all costs.

Jesse Morgan
Age: 22

As one of the founding members of the band, Spectral Howl, Jesse bears a quiet confidence that puts people at ease in his presence. After all, it takes courage to drop out of college just one year before graduation in order to pursue one’s musical dreams.

This choice wasn’t that hard to make. Jesse was unsure about pursuing his degree, and in fact felt trapped by the expectations of those around him. However, after getting a positive reception about his musical skills from a local bar, as well as the unanticipated vocal talents of Rachel, Jesse decided to forge a new path.

However, he also knew he couldn’t do it alone. He first turned to Rachel, his oldest friend going back to elementary school. They were constants in each other’s lives, knowing they could rely on each no matter what comes. From there, they started to recruit other people like Sean to play the drums.

Jesse is glad he isn’t the ‘face’ of the band, gladly relegating that role to Rachel. Jesse definitely pulls his own weight. Besides being the lead guitarist, Jesse is also the chief song writer. Occasionally this causes him to butt heads with other bandmates when revisions are suggested and Jesse digs in his heels on any changes at all.

For a while, the band was quite successful. They consistently sold out their venues, and there was even talk of a possible record label contract. However, being at the top makes a fall that much greater. It started when the bass guitarist was arrested, forcing Jesse to try and find a replacement. Almost as quickly, a second member left, citing irreconcilable differences with Rachel.

However, current circumstances have shaken Jesse to his core. From his waning friendship with Rachel to the dissolution of his band, Jesse is standing at a crossroads. Does he keep following his dream, or is it time to pursue some other career?

If this wasn’t bad enough, Jesse finds himself plagued by nightmares that he doesn’t know the source of. The only thing he can remember is a flash of gleaming white before waking up in a cold sweat.

Despite all of this, Jesse isn’t one to give up. Adversity builds strength, and Jesse is sure he can face whatever challenge comes his way.

Next week, will be the turn of Valerie and Tristan! Remember to check the game’s Kickstarter here.