#i just want to portray a story/a relationship btwn 2 characters that is healthy and positive and loving

[nectar-cellar]

i made rainer and elise months and months ago, to be pretty models for my photoshoots and cc previews. then when i took pics for the tuxedo outfit i made, i got the idea for them to be an actual couple. recently i gave some more thought to them as characters :3 i will share some facts about them below the cut however i’m still figuring out their story as i go along. be warned it’s a very long and somewhat disorganized read lol don’t feel obligated to read this thesis if you don’t have the patience to!

also i reused 1 pic bc it’s cute 🥺

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rainer is an athletic and outdoorsy person. he loves sports, being in nature, and taking photos of his adventures with his dslr camera. he is also a foodie and takes his weekly cheat meals very seriously. when at home, he likes to play strategy and puzzle-solving video games, or lay on the couch with a good novel. his job is fast-paced and he sometimes works long days, so he values activities that invigorate him and relax him. he doesn’t use social media very much for privacy reasons and has no interest in being a public figure. he is 30 years old.

in college, he studied computer science and took additional courses in criminology and sociology. he currently works as a cybersecurity analyst at a consulting firm, but most people have no idea what that means, so he usually just says he works in “finance” or “consulting” when asked. that usually kills any follow-up questions. overall he has a calm, reserved and logical type of personality. he can be assertive and charismatic when it comes to business matters, but in his personal relationships he tends to be more observant and sensitive. having been single for a while, in his moments alone, he misses romantic companionship and the fulfillment of making another person happy.

elise is a creative and outgoing person. she works in the marketing department of an upscale fashion boutique, and runs a painstakingly curated simstagram account in her spare time. being a microinfluencer might as well be her second job. a city girl, fashionista and social butterfly, elise’s calendar is always meticulously scheduled with outings, appointments and blocks of time reserved for social media work. hey, it’s not all for fun, she has a personal brand to maintain, and professional relationships to cultivate! and free makeup and shoes to receive!

in her rare days off, she likes to relax at home by baking, decorating her apartment, and sketching clothes. she is 27 years old, fiercely independent, and living the fabulous life she always dreamed of. however, she sometimes wishes she could slow down and just be her real, unmade-up self around other people. she loves her fun and glamorous job, but the industry can be a painfully shallow and judgmental place. the older she gets, the more she values authenticity in people, a rare trait to come across in her social circle. with her growing social media presence, she also struggles to strike a balance between being relatable and keeping her private life offline. she secretly yearns for deeper connections in her life and finds them hard to make.

rainer and elise both volunteer on weekends for different non-profits, and they first meet at a large joint event held by their organizations. he is instantly smitten with her beauty and radiant personality, and after the event, he asks her out on a date. she is immediately impressed by his gallant demeanor, and happily accepts.

afterwards, unable to get her out of his mind, rainer searches through elise’s public internet presence to learn more about her. in his deep dive, he inadvertently discovers an old burner account on a plastic surgery forum where elise anonymously sought advice about various procedures, shared her insecurities about her appearance, and candidly talked about living as a trans woman: a personal fact she has never been public about. although the account does not contain her real name, enough personal details align for him to put the pieces together. he’s an analyst after all, it’s part of his job to read between the lines and connect the dots. he feels guilty for discovering something he shouldn’t have known, but it doesn’t change his attraction to her. reading her honest and intimate posts about her life only endears her to him. his discovery prompts him to learn how to be more considerate and respectful when dating, and motivates him to show up as a better partner for her.

as they spend more time together and their feelings grow stronger, elise can’t help but hesitate. is she ready for a serious relationship after remaining single by choice for years? is she ready to give up her freedom to make someone else her priority? and the million dollar question: what if he can’t accept her for who she is? she remembers the pain and disappointment of rejection from her previous failed relationships. but just because dating is hard and messy and complicated, it doesn’t mean she should never try again... right? in front of her was a mature, sincere and grounded guy who seemed to check all her boxes so far. it is scary to be honest and vulnerable with someone especially when you haven’t done it in a long time. her developing relationship with rainer forces her to confront her insecurities about herself and her fear of opening up to other people.

rainer senses her hesitation, but doesn’t know how to relieve her doubts without jeopardizing their relationship. he thinks she would be horrified if she realized how much he knew about her, and his violation of her privacy would shatter her trust in him. he is certain that he wants to pursue a serious relationship with her: every moment they spend together just feels easy and blissful and right. he can’t risk losing her, so all he can do is prepare for the day when she trusts him enough to open up, and finally show her she has nothing to be afraid of.

he also feels morally torn: was he wrong for thoroughly screening his prospective date’s background, back when they were relative strangers? her information was openly available on the internet. and did elise have to know what he had done? what really matters is their strong, genuine connection, right? the guilt of violating her privacy weighs on his conscience and he tries to make up for this by approaching her with extra care and attention at all times. he just hopes his actions won’t blow up in his face when she eventually has The Talk with him. 

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so yeah that’s where i’m at. TWO CHARACTERS WHO WANT TO SAY THINGS TO EACH OTHER BUT CAN’T. TWO CHARACTERS WHO HAVE STRONG FEELINGS FOR EACH OTHER AND DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!!!! romance. yearning. tenderness. drama. i wrote a lot more in my google doc. thanks for reading if you did 😩