Maya Takagi
Mateus | She/They | Au Ra
A wandering bard, weaving bawdy tales for the stage and the page."Everyone has a story. Tell me yours."
Jobs: Bard, Courier, Laborer
Trades: Weaver, Herbalist, Culinarian
Hobbies: Matchmaking & Mischief
Loves: humble people, animals, baked goods, puns, flirting, the stars.
Loathes: authority figures, braggarts and bullies, injustice, meat.
Free Company: The Tempest Talons
Workplace: Oschon's Refuge for Adventurers and Scholars
Maya's Spotify Playlist
Biography
Born to Auri rebels in Garlean occupied Nagxia and smuggled to Gridania when orphaned--Maya grew up deep in the Black Shroud - on homestead of independent, pacifist farmers named the "freaks farm" by the denizens of the nearest village. She is the oldest of a gaggle of foster children. Her two dozen "siblings" include Lalafel, Miqo'te, Viera, Roegadyn, Goblin and Kobold.Taken by wanderlust in her teen years, Maya traveled to pre-cataclysm Ul'dah, working bars, markets, street corners, hospitals, cemeteries and mines - any job available to the uneducated and poor. Alas, the happy-go-lucky gal's tale took a tragic turn when she became a debt slave of an underworld boss. During her years as a crime lord's minion - Maya grew up quickly, learning how to read, write, steal, seduce, lie, cheat, and hurt people. She escaped Ul'dah, only to become a conscript in the Gridanian army just before the battle of Carteneau.Seeing humanity at its worst as well as its most compassionate, Maya came to this conclusion: Everyone needs joy - and she would cultivate joy and spread it.Maya wanders Eorzea, gathering stories of adventurers and common folk alike, weaving them into public performances and prose. Her style is distinctively low-brow, crass, and bawdy - entertainment of the working class.She performs for room, board, and tips. In lean times (and they are mostly lean times), she camps under the stars or in haylofts above chocobo stables.Apart from her public persona, Maya works diligently to aide those who need it, with a particular allegiance to the orphaned, abandoned, mistreated, and downtrodden.
Traits & Personality
Demeanor: Playful. Gregarious. Flirtatious. Outgoing. Heart on her sleeve. A fiercely loyal friend. Eagerly puts herself in harm's way to help others. Gifted at diffusing tense situations with kindness and attentiveness. Refuses to believe that all tragedy leads to trauma.Behavior: Provincial manner and dialect (think West Country / Devonshire), half country kid / half slum rat. A trained actor, can code switch to a more refined voice and manner as necessary.Wields humor as her sharpest weapon. Plays the good-natured fool, overemphasizing her ignorance, lack of means, and middling talent. Uses sarcasm only for her foes and authority figures and lives by the motto "never punch down."Maya flirts constantly, but makes it clear she's not coming onto you (more likely, she's trying to set you up with one of her friends).On the inside, she's quite self-conscious about her worth and place in the world.Physical Description: Raen. Hair adorned with a flower. Facial expression in a smirk, but never mocking. She wears boldly colored, monochromatic outfits (usually patched and mended from overuse). Frequently has a bruise, scar, or bandage somewhere on her body.Skills Writer. Orator of ballads in verse and prose. Juggler. Tumbler. Folk dancer. Herbalist. Field Medic. Writer of trash fiction (under the name Persis Tanner). A country kid, she knows to farm, sew, cook, raise animals, and survive in the wilderness. Her comfort in the wilds makes her an excellent courier or guide.
Adventure Hooks
Note: Ok with Mature and 21+ content. Ask consent first.
Note: Maya works great as a sidekick to other characters' adventures. Propose any idea and she'll probably fit in somewhere (is tiny). Excellent drinking buddy so share your life, loves, adventures, and woes.Debts: Does she owe you money? Or did she give up her last coin to help you out of a bind?Speedy Delivery: Maya is a courier, both a freelance transporter of rare and dangerous goods and with the 13th Autonomous Unit of the Twin Adders. What's she bringing you?Veterans: Were you at Carteneau, Baelser's Wall, the Ghimlyt, the Islabard Contingent? Perhaps a plunky young medic from the Twin Adders gave you aid, or failed to save one of your comrades?Adventure Time: Bring Maya along to chronicle your adventure, entertain you, and cook delicious meals. She'll help you overcome a long time foe or solve a mystery from your past.Maya's Matchmaking Service: Eager to help you find love and companionship (whether it's the "one and only" or the "one for tonight.") Also liberates folks from unhealthy relationships.Romance: A notorious flirt. Will cuddle everyone. Fancies fellow rebels, anarchists, outcasts, and troublemakers. Is madly in love with, and committed to, P'ranya Kharra, a vivacious and irresistible Miqo'te.Goals: 1) to travel the world and talk to everyone in it. 2) to help the people of the world rebuild after the war. 3) to pay off her significant debts to organized crime (and not be killed by them). 4) to spread love and joy
Recent Exploits
Some of Maya's recent adventures with friends
Street Smart, Book Stupid: Maya works as a courier and field medic for an adventurer's school in Ul'dah. In addition to organizing community service projects throughout Eorzea, Maya plays the part of worldly big sister to the students.The Dry Road: Maya eagerly volunteered to organize a caravan of Gridanian citizens dying of consumption (tuberculosis) to Ul'dah, where the dry climate would aid their condition. The trip was completed successfully, but Maya accrued serious debts.Red Death: A powerful red mage will pay anyone to deliver Maya - alive - into his hands.Mysterious Maiden of Doma: In order to prevent a young girl from being wed to a slimebag Ul'dah merchant, Maya has infiltrated his inner circle posing as a mysterious geiko from Doma. Her hope is to find evidence that can ruin the man, and thus cancel the betrothal.
Out of Character
About me: Based in North America, born in UK, Asian ancestry. 40+. Non-binary. Teacher. Leftist activist who doesn't talk politics online. Fairly anonymous with personal details.Red Flags: Sociopathic, narcissistic, or anti-social characters are NOT a good match for me or Maya unless they are on an arc toward change / redemption / etc. (in which case I've got you). I encounter enough of those people in the real world.Roleplay style: Usually in-character in-game. Interested in developing long-running friendships and storylines. 2-3 sentence or short paragraph writing (more screenwriting than novelistic). Will mirror multi-para. Again - not a good match for "evil" characters / settings.Conflicts and Storylines: I'm accustomed to TTRPGs with mechanics for social conflicts. Since this doesn't exist in FF14, I negotiate and plan out conflicts or major character developments OOC before hand.Lore: All roleplay takes place in a universe where none of our characters are the warrior of light. References to locations and cultures should align with the established fiction (not interested in lore stretches like vampire characters, etc). Maya is a low power character - a regular person with no aether abilities - but has a good understanding of the legends and lore of the land.Requests: All roleplay must be consent based with a clear separation between IC/OOC. Keep emotionally needy OOC behavior away from me and my character or I will ignore you.Be transparent about RP goals. I love the social dynamics and roleplay styles in FF14. Not here to shame anyone with good intentions. Mature themes are ok with clear boundaries.Maya is a bit of a chaos gremlin, troublemaker, and constant teaser, but she and I sincerely support each person's right to pleasure. Happy roleplaying!