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[servicewithasmirk]

Character Name: Thomas Barrow
Canon: Downton Abbey
Canon Point: Season 6 Episode 8

About: Thomas Barrow has spent most of his adult life, from the 1910’s up through the 1925, as a servant at Downton Abbey, the household of the Earl of Grantham, where he worked his way up the career ladder from footman to under-butler. He’s good at what he does, when he chooses to be, but on a personal level, well… he maybe has a few moral failings. His life as a gay man in a decidedly unfriendly society has left him bitter, jealous of those who have what he can’t, and with a determination to do unto others before they can do unto him. As a result he is generally sneaky, snide, sarcastic, and any number of other unpleasant s-words, along with being quick to take offense and slow to forgive.

Thomas spent his younger years trying to scheme, back-stab, and frame his way into a better position--with a bit of bullying those beneath him just for kicks--but didn’t manage to get very far. In fact, most of his schemes managed to backfire on him, and he was on the point of being fired when the start of what would become World War I was declared. Thomas took this opportunity to scamper off into the Medical Corps, thinking this would be a safe option. This miscalculation got him him sent into the trenches at the frontlines as a stretcher-bearer, where he stayed for nearly two years. One night, when he simply couldn’t take it anymore, Thomas held his lighter up above the top of the trench and managed to get his hand shot by a German sniper, earning him a ticket back home. A little extra scheming alongside a lady’s maid more villainous than himself got Thomas back into Downton Abbey, now a convalescent home for wounded officers, as a medical orderly.

The end of the War (and an ill-advised attempt at breaking into the black market rationed-goods business) nearly saw Thomas thrown out again, but a timely Spanish Flu epidemic allowed him to worm his way back into his old job as a footman when nearly all the household staff were bedridden. The convenient arrest of the Earl’s valet for murder and a quick bit of dognapping to earn the Earl’s gratitude by “finding” his lost labrador then earned Thomas a promotion to valet… Until the former valet was acquitted and Thomas got caught kissing the hot new footman, at least. Fortunately for our anti-hero, the annual Downton Abbey versus Downton Village cricket match was approaching and, with Thomas being the ace player of the house team, the Earl was reluctant to have him fired and instead had him kept on and promoted to under-butler.

The years eventually matured and mellowed Thomas considerably. Why, it’s been months since the last time he tried to blackmail anyone! He does, however, still have an unfortunate tendency to lash out at those around him for the least perceived offense. This has left Thomas with few friends, despite a secret longing to fit in with others. But after so many years of practice, nastiness has become his default, and kindness takes more effort for Thomas than he’s often willing to give... Well, except when it comes to small children. They get piggy-back rides complete with horsey clip-clop noises. Everyone has their soft spot, after all.

Now, with changing times in England quickly turning his life and career into an anachronism, Thomas faces losing both his livelihood and his home. And no amount of scheming or dognapping can save him from that. This realization, along with the crushing loneliness of being rejected by his fellow servants despite recent attempts to be slightly less awful to them, has driven Thomas to despair. His resulting suicide attempt was, fortunately, prevented from being fatal by the few who still cared for him despite his flaws, but Thomas still faces an uncertain future.

Inventory:

• an overcoat and brown suit of decent (but not at all fancy) quality
  
• a bowler hat
  
• one white leather glove (left) with the fingers cut off
  
• one pack of cigarettes
  
• one cigarette lighter

Feature Type: Domestic cat

What are your plans with this character? Thomas is taken from the canon point at which he has hit rock bottom. He is being being yanked out of the only environment that he can imagine himself in, but which is also the environment which has inflicted so much damage on him. I plan to explore the possibilities of his character development from this point. Will this change lead him to blossom as a person and learn how to relate to others, or will he backslide and lash out even harder than before?

Sample: TDM sample thread