Thomas
| Thomas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Coda |
| Information | |
| Full name | Thomas Whitaker |
| Nickname | Whoretaker |
| Species | Stunky |
| Gender | Male |
| Orientation | Gay |
| Main Kinks | Rimming, sex toys, stripteases |
| Occupation | Afternoon Shift waiter |
| Relatives | Svetlana, Malcolm |
| Nationality | Russian |
Contents
Description
Thomas 'Whoretaker' Whitaker is a pointy-faced Stunky and the primary protagonist of Coda's stories in the Cafe Plaisir universe.
Shy, neurotic, and overly paranoid, Thomas is far from your typically bubbly Plaisir staff member. He stands on two feet, he wears clothes, and he avoids his species' stereotype by keeping himself meticulously clean. Though he's comfortable performing for an audience, the Stunky is a borderline recluse when he's off the stage. He's an anxious wreck who can never catch a break, and his refusal to engage with others has made him few friends. At Plaisir, Thomas feels like he's in the eye of a hurricane, resting in that safe spot, but still terrified of being swept away by the winds of change.
The strongest connections Thomas has made are with his roommate, Nicolaus, and his unlikely friend, Eclipse. Nicolaus' stoic, stable nature and wellspring of kindness often soothes Thomas' frayed nerves, and he's deeply grateful for all the cat has done to help him settle in at Plaisir. Eclipse is someone that Thomas can relax with on his natural lower speed, and he encourages Thomas to take charge of his life rather than being pushed around by it. Outside of his waiter duties, Thomas spends most of his time with these two - alongside teaching his alien ward, Cara.
Thomas possesses a special ability that he calls 'data processing'; he is able to analyze everything he sees in front of him at once. A rhythmic flick of the eyes allows him to literally pull a needle from a haystack just by glancing at it. He often uses this power in deductions, but can't use it to his liking - after all, being able to read the individual components of a scene isn't the same thing as being able to put a mystery together. He doesn't like to use this power, feeling that it's useless, and that people (especially his mother) expect too much of him... but even so, this ability often aids him through his struggles.
Thomas is most known for his strained relationships with his ex-boss, Bae, his coworker Karma, and his mother Svetlana, the latter being a constant source of strife and pain in his life. Svetlana is a member of the Russian secret service, and Thomas' attempt to escape his family is what led him to Cafe Plaisir.
History
Origins
Thomas was born in Portugal to a Skuntank mother and a Linoone father, inheriting his father's pointed snout and his mother's 'data processing' ability. His half-brother Malcolm inherited the opposite; a squished-in, pug-like face. By the time he was five years old, Svetlana recognized her son's aptitude and set about training him to succeed her in the SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service. From that point forward, Thomas was taken away on his mother's missions, spending the entirety of his youth hopping between hotel rooms in different countries. This instilled Thomas with a feeling of profound insecurity and loss, never being able to stay in one place for too long thanks to his mother's work, always having his life defined by his mother's terms. It didn't help that Svetlana was a disinterested and neglectful parent, always putting her work in front of her son's basic needs.
Being privy to his mother's work, he had watched her take part in everything from infiltrations to assassinations. This gave Thomas an even stronger sense of paranoia (especially after seeing his mother make enemies on the job), as well as giving him a distaste for the concept of spying in general. He did form a friendly relationship with Dmitri, his mother's partner in the SVR, a former member of Spetsnaz who taught Thomas how to fight.
Thomas eventually rebelled against his mother, and once he was old enough to leave her custody, he traveled to America in an attempt to leave his old life behind.
Caramel Carnivale
Looking for work in a new country, Thomas soon encountered Bae, the eccentric owner of a strip club in rural Louisiana. Bae heard Thomas' plight and hired him on the spot, taking special interest in the fact that the Stunky might have trouble with Russian spies. Though he was overwhelmed at first, Thomas took to the job with gusto, finding some confidence in himself after working up the nerve to dance on-stage. From that point on, he worked full-time as a waiter and dancer, putting on shows for the tiny town. Even in his new life, Thomas never truly had the chance to relax. News of his mother often came in from abroad, and he also found himself dealing with threats in his workplace - chiefly Karma, a Zangoose that Thomas befriended (and even dated) before learning he was a murderer.
The Stunky felt more comfortable than usual, and on cue, it all came crashing down. The low-income apartment complex where Thomas lived was sold and scheduled for demolition, meant to be replaced by condominiums. Finding himself unable to afford rent elsewhere in the area, and unwilling to live at the Carnivale itself, Thomas suddenly found himself in need of a new home - and a new job. Luckily, Bae knew the perfect place for him.
Entering Plaisir
On Bae's recommendation, Thomas traveled across the country to Cafe Plaisir, where he met Jack and Firenze. Both had been told Thomas' plight by Bae, and after a brief demonstration of his skills, they hired him as a waiter. Unfortunately, Thomas' neuroses and paranoia had begun to act up again. He didn't believe the job was something stable, and these fears were only strengthened when Plaisir staff began blaming him for mysterious occurrences around the building. The one person Thomas made a real connection with was Nicolaus, who helped him settle into his new job, and find a new home in the Atlas Apartment complex.
Thomas' deductive skills were soon put to the test when the odd occurrences around Plaisir ramped up, along with strange behavior from patrons and staff members alike. Thomas soon discovered that the oddities were caused by Cara, a friendly, immature Nihilego who was invading people's bodies in order to learn about the world. While Thomas was solving this mystery, all hell broke loose back at the Carnivale - and Thomas soon learned that his mother was responsible.
An Ultra Space wormhole had opened up above the Caramel Carnivale, and it was spewing chunks of flesh (as well as Ultra Beasts) out the portal. Thanks to her work at the SVR, Svetlana had been sent to investigate the incident, but the unfiltered exposure to Ultra Space's atmosphere damaged her brain. In a drug-fueled stupor, she believed that she needed to ship Ultra Beasts all across the country (something that Eclipse also learned during his angry road trip to chase down Bae.) When he learned all this, Thomas realized that his mother had gone off the deep end for good, and moreover, that he needed to stop her.
Thomas entered the Ultra Space wormhole (with Cara's help) and confronted Svetlana. His mother was in the middle of a psychotic break, raving like a lunatic, but she still managed to hit him with a biting remark- flat-out saying that she only valued him when he was useful to her. He hit her back, with an uppercut to the face that knocked her clean out of the Ultra Space wormhole.
With the day saved (and a host of new alien friends), Thomas returned to Plaisir, feeling a little more confident in himself. Much of the staff still viewed him with confusion and suspicion, but Thomas still vowed to make an effort and set things right.
Life at Plaisir
Even after such a success, Thomas still barely had the chance to breathe. His eternal rival Karma transferred to Plaisir, and killed a patron within days of starting work there, causing immediate tension between the two. He traveled to El Paso to rescue Bae and Margrave, drawing him into conflict with a local cartel. A boat trip on the Fleur du Flamme gave Thomas a close encounter with a Darkrai called John 'a dreams, who declared himself the new protector of Ultra Space. Most recently, Thomas learned of a shadowy organization investigating Ultra Space, using shell companies to their advantage. His mother has been recovering, and an earth-shattering incident in the Mojave Desert shows that she and Dmitri are still active. It's no wonder this stressed-out Stunky isolates himself away from others. Can he ever catch a break?
