Goodness, THOMAS DOWDING has arrived in London. HE is TWENTY-SIX, of the HERTFORDSHIRE DOWDINGS. Though they are RETURNED to the Season, we can only describe them as ELOQUENT and IMPASSIONED, dear reader. Accompanied by HIS MOTHER, they have settled in and are accepting social calls. But be warned: they are known for being FICKLE.
PERSONALITY
Thomas has acclimated entirely to the romantic school of thought. Everything must be for poetry, for love, for nature. He's very interested in the classical world of ancient Greece and Rome but fortunately, knows better than to ramble off about his adventures to any available ear. Instead, he puts it to verse, a trade that's served him well.
He can be flighty and although he certainly houses a well of deep emotions, thoughts, and beliefs, he has a tendency to cheapen it all under the demanding gaze of romanticism. It can be hard to tell whether he's genuinely enthralled or just entertaining someone or something for the sake of a poem. He can be two faced, a charming poet with honey sweet words one moment and the next, cold and uncaring . . . Best not to be a fleeting inspiration, lest he lose interest entirely.
For those that do manage to keep his interest peaked and to continue inspiring him, he's quick with flattering words and always prepared to set out on an adventure: for the love of art.
BIOGRAPHY
As soon as he could read, it was clear that Thomas Dowding would be a poet. He consumed the plays and sonnets of Shakespeare the way a dying man seeks out a fountain. It was not long before he moved on from reading to writing and though his earliest verses may not be good by his standards now, they certainly showed an innate talent for the written word.
But what did he have to write about, really? He had such a typical upbringing. Gentry, small town, he lost his father when he was thirteen but that was much too grim to put to page, as well as much too typical.
At a lack of compelling experiences to write about, Thomas set out upon the world with an impassioned dedication to experiencing every romantic thing it had to offer. Love, sex, drink, camaraderie, for what is a poet who has not lived fully? Thomas collects experiences like a currency and can often be found leaning back with a quill and pad, jotting down his thoughts right in the middle of such times.
At Oxford, Thomas met a professor that stole his breath. Mister Crawford had such command over language, an eye that could pierce through a poem straight into its heart. Thomas found himself admiring this professor greatly and taking his opinion and thoughts as the word of god in his life. Before any big decision, he really must consult Mister Crawford. It was this professor that inspired Thomas to set out traveling, go to Athens, he said, go to Florence, to Paris, to India.
Of course Thomas listened. He traveled for years, meeting people from every walk of life and producing some of his best poetry. He published several of them in papers, as well as an epic, and now finds himself working on a novel that was inspired from these travels. It was during this time that the Queen of England took notice of his way with words and ever since, Thomas Dowding has been a successful poet with a wide audience.
All of that acclaim cannot satisfy him, however; he must win the approval and admiration of Mister Crawford. Why he continues to seek out his approval isn't entirely known even to himself but continue he does. Perhaps, the only inspiration that lasts is the inspiration of being told he's not as phenomenal as he would like to believe, and the need to prove that wrong.
DARK PAST
It really is too bad that gambling is such a brilliant past time. It's no secret that Thomas knows how to spend money with a swiftness not often seen in other more mild personalities but he does well to contain just how out of control it is. He owes a fair amount of debt but always manages to scrounge up just what's needed at the last moment before scandal breaks loose - And oh! How wonderful, he can take another loan now that he's paid that one off.
