THOMAS - PERSONALITY

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If there is one word that sums Thomas up on its own, it's 'passion.'

A man who feels things strongly, this combined with a naturally tendancy to be driven by his heart first and everything else second has frequently caused him no end of heartbreak throughout his life. A kinder childhood might have prepared him for this better, but instead, the constant punishment for something out of his control by an irritable father has caused him to develop heavy metaphorical 'armour' that makes him come off as guarded and distrusting at first. That in itself has also been nourished by the tough state of life for someone poorer living in the Lower City of Baldur's Gates, so, further, Tom has something of a righteous temper on him.

The nature of this temper varies depending on all else as one might expect. When feeling especially vulnerable, frightened or hurt it can tip over from 'righteous' to 'reactive,' a flaw he is well aware of and has struggled with for many years. Sometimes he is able to 'box' this up depending on situation (and stepping into the role of the leader really reinforces the habit) but the right trigger can cause that hold to break, and he'll be at least snappy until he's had time to process and calm himself down away from the situation. An excellent example of this is encountering an offensive and unpleasant-acting Aradin at the start of BG3; though keeping it together until that point, a frightened Thomas, currently in way over his head without any time to sit with the problem of the mindflayer parasite, snaps and punches Aradin to the floor. The extreme of the situation and the truly enraging actions he was witnessing tipped Thomas over the edge at that time.

That his anger is also, sometimes, a mask for hurt and pain is perhaps obvious at this point. Usually he instead makes a second inward box to hide away anything he deems as a person struggle, putting it aside to deal with last after everyone else around him is taken care of.

Because for all those first impressions one might get of him, beneath it all and further on the theme of passion, Thomas deeply cares for other people and has a massive capacity for love. He is driven by this to help those who are troubled or suffering, especially when they have been discounted and neglected by others (the main reason why he eventually became a frequent unofficial 'private investigator' in missing person's cases in the Lower City). This is genuine compassion and reflective of the kind nature that is probably his most natural state when it comes down to it. People who don't know him well might not expect it at first but it becomes obvious when spending enough time with or looking into his history. This is doubly true for children and street children in particular, with whom he shares a deep empathy and understanding, being quick to slip into the role of a protective older brother when needed.

None of this means he is prepared to put up with people trying to 'bullshit' him, as he'd put it, and he's quick to call about people trying to take advantage or go over the line. This goes for his loved ones, whether their bonds be platonic, familial or romantic...

There's an asterisk on the romantic part of that, however. A romantic man by nature, when he falls in love with a man Tommy falls fast, deep and with a notable amount of the 'rose coloured glasses' effect going on that can blind him to the flaws of his lover. Bad experience with his ex fiance, Silvester, has caused him to face up to this factor of himself and he is better at keeping watch on himself when the feelings start to creep in, but it is still very much a part of himself he has to tackle. Tom is at heart the soft-natured yearning sort who dreams of a genuine love and loyal partner, who’d write powerful and talented poetry inspired by the laugh-lines of his beloved, who is driven giddy by shows of love from others and would unleash just as much in return given the chance. But he has never quite managed to get this, even when it felt like he was finally there.

His drive for his loved ones as a whole is just as strong, but he is a lot less prone to the rose-coloured glasses outside of the realm of romance. Tom is a loyal, dependable friend who'll do what he can for any one of them at any point provided they don't 'take the piss' with it, shouldering the burdens willingly and with grace. Sometimes this is at his own expense, and Thomas can be a lot more hesitant to share his own problems with others. That boxing up of feelings can lead to very bad habits, after all, and it takes a lot for him to let that guard down. Sometimes the suppression can fuel meltdowns which he will, again, try and go off to handle alone if someone unpleasant doesn't inadvertantly trigger them. Learning to cry and grieve and let it out all to the people who care for him is critical and he knows it, but, well... one might call him a bit hypocritical about emotional matters at times, and it can come off as continuing distrust. Tom would be hurt to hear as much, and perhaps it being bluntly pointed out would help him to work a little harder at doing so.

Within the context of his canon, BG3, that would take a long time to do, regardless. Taking up the leadership mantle within the group, to his own surprise, causes what is a very natural talent for leadership to bloom well. Perhaps fuelled in part by the mix of care for others with not tolerating 'nonsense,' alongside his observant nature and quick-thinking in a crisis, the one downside of leaning into Tom's natural talent is that the shoving down of personal problems gets way worse as he thinks there is no time for it, thinks that he needs to put it all aside in order to better help the loved ones he is responsible for. To better ensure they survive.

Not true, of course. The habit creates a roadblock, but it is not one Thomas is incapable of overcoming, with time, trust and, yes, letting himself be helped

A gentle dreamer, fierce leader, rough brawler and knight in banged-up armour, this young man has had a life of full of both struggles and love. Though lacking the experience in adventure of most of his companions on their quest, Thomas is both unable to comprehend the horrifying trauma he will have to face up to and more prepared to tackle it than he could ever imagine. Where he will be left in the wake of it, though? Time will tell.

FURTHER POINTS

Anything else worth detailing can be found here, in bullet-point form. ♥


- As an untrained sorcerer there’s another layer to Tom's emotional struggles: when either extremely scared or really pissed off his magic can flare up, usually just in the form of wind that blows his hair about or similar but at its most extreme causing electricity to visibly spark across his skin. Aware of this fact, he is fearful especially of his own anger which can feed it, creating a vicious circle.

- His relationship with his magic is important as a whole, entangled with both his flaws and best qualities. Tom fears his magical nature and is sensitive about it when others bring it up or talk about it, but also is very talented with and uses what are considered to be basic magical abilities in unusual, creative ways and in a very natural manner. It is most definitely a part of him. He’d consider removing it if it was possible. He’d never be able to go through with it. He’d scream about wishing it would vanish. He’d be driven to improve it for his loved ones. Being without it would literally kill him, but perhaps metaphorically too. Thomas doesn’t really seem to appreciate it, but it enriches his life in many ways he doesn't even think about. It’s complicated. In a bright future, he’d probably learn to openly love what he can do and do ever more with it, but getting there requires a bit ol’ dose of that vulnerability and honesty with himself.

- Given a chance at a more settled life, with a genuine sense of support and love from friends and partner, his temper will over time improve remarkably and soften out. Never entirely gone, but much better and overall much less present in his life, unveiling much more of the gentler, daydreaming, romantic Thomas to the world.

- He is fond of swearing, but not in a very creative way. Thomas secretly writes some very talented poetry and this where his creativity shines most. Sometimes very poetic turns of phrase seep into his regular vernacular as well, leaving the page and revealing that side of himself to the listener. Tom has also memorized a huge amount of poetic works of all kinds; he can’t afford to buy many books so instead has committed most of what he knows to memory from spoken performances. He also greatly enjoys music (when drunk especially he has Very Strong Music Opinions) and will often use it to help himself calm down. This is, in fact, why he knows how to play the lute: it allows him to have a nice calm time by himself with gentle song. Overall a person who appreciates the arts and would probably enjoy getting to involve himself in more of its disciplines, if he had the time and funds to do so.




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