ROUND 2 â Match 131 of 143
Thomas Barrow (Downton Abbey)
Identity: Gay, explicit Notes: Directly referred to as gay on-screen, and has multiple romantic relationships with other men. Propaganda: 1. "thomas is such an annoying character to love because heâll do something genuinely kind and then immediately ruin it by being petty on purpose. like heâs constantly fighting himself. he wants security and respect and to not be disposable, and the only way he knows how to protect that is by staying sharp and defensive and sometimes just plain cruel first so nobody can get there before him. but thatâs also why he works. heâs not written as âthe villain servantâ forever - you can see the loneliness under it, and the way being gay in that world boxes him into constant fear and self-protection. heâs observant, heâs intelligent, heâs capable, and half the time heâs the only one in the room whoâs actually clocking whatâs going on, but he canât just be open about wanting connection the way other characters can. so he lashes out. he schemes. he self-sabotages. and then you get these moments where heâs trying, actually trying, and it hits harder because itâs not easy for him. also: rob james-collier plays him like a real person, not a cartoon, which helps a lot. i donât excuse half the stuff he does, but i get why he is the way he is, and when he finally gets a bit of peace it feels deserved." 2. "Thinking about that scene after Thomas has spent the ENTIRE series struggling with internalised homophobia (and everyone ELSE'S homophobia), and how cathartic it felt when Mr. Carson found out he was gay and called him foul and Thomas straightened up and said "I am not foul, Mr. Carson. I'm not the same as you, but I am not foul."
vs. Asra Alnazar (The Arcana)
Identity: Bisexual, explicit; Nonbinary, Word of God Notes: Is in love with the protagonist and can enter a relationship with them regardless of gender, and can also end up in a relationship with Muriel or Julian (both men) in certain routes. Explicitly referred to as bisexual by the developers, as well as nonbinary, and described as using he/they pronouns. Propaganda: 1. "Asraâs route works because heâs consistently protective and consistently evasive, and the story doesnât pretend those traits donât clash. He clearly cares a lot, he shows up when it matters, and heâs good at reading what you need in the moment - but he also keeps information back, deflects when things get too personal, and tries to handle problems alone. I like that the game lets him be affectionate without making him emotionally simple. If you want a love interest who feels like he has an actual pattern of behavior (good and bad), heâs one of the best-written in the cast." 2. "heâs gentle, mysterious, a little evasive, deeply devoted, and has that whole soft-spoken magical sadness thing going on that the arcana absolutely knows people go crazy for. thereâs always this sense with him that he feels everything very deeply and just doesnât say all of it out loud. a lot of what makes him stick, too, is how central love is to his character without it making him feel flat or one-note. heâs romantic in this very sincere, aching way, and it gives him a lot of emotional weight. he feels intimate as a character - like someone built around longing, care, memory, and the fear of losing people. that makes him really hard not to care about."
Who should advance?
Thomas Barrow
Asra Alnazar
























