Finished ShB so beware of mild spoilers~

1. Name

Mae Banrion Her birth name was Hanako, but she changed it to Mae when she ran away from home to become an adventurer, partially in hopes it would make her harder to find, and partially because she wanted to start anew. Mae is the name of a character from a book, while Banrion was one of a number of names suggested by the merchant she was travelling with. She picked it randomly in a panic when she had to fill out forms at the adventurers guild. She has told very few people of her past name, and anyone she has told know not to use it as She does not like to associate with the the unhappy person she used to be. 'Mae' is the person she felt she was always meant to be.

2. Race and Main Class/job

Au ra raen, Bard.

Jehantel had a huge influence on Mae, being one of the driving forces that led her to coming into her own as an adventurer and person in general. She had always loved singing and dancing, but through him found a greater love of music.

She is primarily an archer, but skilled enough in close combat to defend herself, and has worked on building her overall strength and skills in close range fighting more and more. She also has a cure spell she learned but it is not very powerful, just useful for small injuries.

3. A striking feature

Her broken horn. During her first fight with Zenos the back half of her left horn was broken off. It was a painful reminder of her loss and upsetting for her personally due to the pride au ra take in their horns.

Alphinaud, Alisaie and Tataru together arranged for a silver prosthetic to be made for her, and she adores it and wears it with pride. (Cropped commission by rurukatt)

4. Age

In the magical time bubble that is FFXIV, she is probably around 25 currently.

5. Their personality

Amiable and kind, somewhat quiet unless you get her talking about something she's passionate about. Always wants to do her best to help those in need no matter how big or small the task. Highly empathetic to people she feels any connection/sympathy.

She can very stubborn and set in her ways (e.g. if someone makes a bad first impression and doesn't quickly fix it, she's very slow to change her mind about them), and while she offers help and support to others she keeps a lot to herself even when that upsets people close to her. There are some people who can read her but they still worry and her insistence she is fine does not alleviate the stress. She is getting better at opening up and looking for supports following 5.3.

6. Their clothing

Generally comfort and ease of movement are her top priorities. She mostly wears fitted clothes and boots and is more comfortable in trousers or shorts than dresses or skirts. She likes wearing cute/pretty things sometimes but doesn't get much opportunity to.

7. How was their childhood

She was happy enough when she was young but felt more and more pressure from her parents the older she got. She wasn't skilled at the things they tried to teach her, she couldn't carry or present herself in a way they found acceptable (lots of criticism about her posture, hair, appearance, social skills, etc.), she didn't have any interest in marriage, and she she clashed with her parents often because of a mixture of all of this. She was incredibly unhappy before running away, which was what prompted her to leave. She resolved herself to become an adventurer or die trying, and changed her name to try and start anew. She doesn't really think about her childhood much, but it gets easier to think and talk about the more distant it becomes.

8. Their goals

Be the best adventurer she can be, help people as she can, and protect the people she cares about. On a smaller scale, get better at sewing and gardening.

On the smallest scale, organise her books... its been years Mae stop letting the pile under your bed grow

9. How do they make a living?

This question led me down a spiral the ended in me questioning the existence of a Bank of Eorzea But yeah I imagine there is a certain amount earned by being part of the scions, and she picks some extra money up doing odd jobs for people.

10. Their favourite food

Bread, apples and grapes (the Azem side story was a funny coincidence pfft!) Not a big fan of meat but she always has some kind of jerky when travelling.

11. Their Worst Fears

Losing the family and friends she has made scares her more than anything. She has confidence in them and trusts them, but the fear never leaves her whenever she has to leave them behind in a fight.

12. Hobbies

Mae is interested in quite a few things but being a WOL her main focus and skill is archery. She enjoys singing, writing music, sewing (plush toys, not clothes), and reading stories. She used to dance but that has more become part of her training than a hobby.

13. Favourite Party Role

She's a bard so dps all the way, though in canon with the scions and npcs she is often leading the way (which is very bad PVE etiquette but she's WOL so it's expected in canon)

14. Talents

She is incredibly good at archery and hitting things while on the move. She's got good reflexes and is quick and agile so quite good at avoiding or redirecting attacks. She is also a lovely singer but doesn't sing that often. She prefers to write and play melodies.

15. Are they native to Eorzea?

No she was born and grew up in Doma, but she considers Eorzea her real home.

16: Parents

Mae's parents didn't understand their daughter and caused harm to her by trying to force her to be someone she wasn't rather than trying to understand who she was (though in their minds they were doing what was best for her). When she ran away they were certain they'd never see her again and mourned the loss. They don't really recognise the daughter they thought they lost in Mae and though they have respect for the WOL they were hurt by her leaving (and by changing her name and discarding her old life). Neither side feels like they're family.

17. Siblings

Mae has one brother who is much older than her, but he has always tried to mediate the tensions between her and her parents. He reluctantly supported her decision to run away and when they met again years later he was ecstatic to see her. Mae was so different to the Hana he knew, and she lived such a different life with new people, that he knew they wouldn't ever have a bond like the ones she had with her new friends., but he was happy for her, and they still care for each other.

18. Other family

For Mae, Alphinaud, Alisaie and Tataru are like her family. She has many friends she cares deeply for, but those three are the ones she is closest to. G'raha has become a friend she is also incredibly close with so he'll probably also be in that category soon.

19. What do they think of love?

Considering everything that has happened, especially in Shadowbringers, she thinks love as a whole is the most powerful force in the world for both good and terrible things. More personally however the love she has for her friends and her homes her entire driving force. She'll protect what she loves to the last. Romantic love is something she likes to read and hear about, but she hasn't really sought out for herself as she didn't think she was very suitable to be in relationships. It just isn't on her radar.

20. What do they think of sex?

Mae's on the ace spectrum and while she's not bothered by it at all, she's not interested in it for herself. (This is a big reason she removed the idea of marriage or relationships from her radar)

21. Thoughts about gil

Had quite a bit of stress with money when she first arrived in Eorzea, but she's quite good at saving and once she can pay her way she's content. Tries not to carry too much but aways has a little for emergencies.

22. Their faith

Current events have brought a lot of things into question, but before ARR she could be described as agnostic, having had no personal experiences to change that view. Meeting Hydaelyn shook things up a bit 😅

23. They have enemies?

Plenty as WOL, Zenos and Fandaniel being the most notable at the moment

Personally she still can't stand Silvairre 😆

24. Their role models?

Mae doesn't really have any one particular role model, she is inspired by all manner of people she meets on her journey. The people she was specifically influenced by the longest were probably Alphinaud (who continues to be a huge inspiration), and Yugiri.

25. Fondest Memory

Currently, the first calm night back with all of the Scions and G'raha in the Source, where everyone was finally safe and at home. She fell asleep to the sound of the others talking, finally properly relaxed for the first time in a long time

26. Biggest Flaw

When she gets an idea set in her head it can be tough to change her mind, both for positive and negative things. Stubborn.

28. Thoughts on Beast Tribes

The treatment if the beast tribes always bothered Mae. She acknowledged the primal threat and clashed with them without hesitation, but she could see it was only part of a much larger problem. She's happy with the current developments.

29. Greatest regret

She has many, from wishing she knew her gift sooner to prevent Ifrit's tempering, to the deaths of friends and companions. Currently she mostly regrets not stomping out Zenos' life properly the first time, and does not intend to make that mistake twice.

30. Any secrets?