Ayla Thatcher

Ayla Thatcher
Gender	Female
Race	Hyur
Clan	Midlander
Citizenship	Gridanian
Age	22
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Adventurer
Height/Weight	5'4" / 140 lbs
Orientation	Panromantic Demisexual
Relatives	Keiran (Father) Sharlene (Mother) Kaidwyn (Uncle) Valencia (Older Sister) Drake (Older Brother) Anselm (Older Brother)

Ayla Thatcher (pronounced /ˈaɪlə θætʃə/) (32st Sun 5th Umbral Moon (Oct 31)) is a Gridanian hyur, trained in the art of bow and song. Daughter of two Serpent Lieutenants, Ayla grew up just outside the city of Gridania on a failing farm. After the Calamity struck and severely injured her father, Ayla took up adventuring to fund the farm and her father Keiran's recovery, as well as sate her wanderlust. The bard befriended a couple who helped her into their Free Company - The Adventure League of Eorzea. Since then, Ayla has traveled extensively. Most recently, she has been seen helping the efforts in Ishgard and attempting to befriend the vanu vanu in the Sea of Clouds.

Basic Info

LIKES ■ Music ■ Animals ■ Stars and Space ■ Puns

DISLIKES ■ Cloudy nights ■ Blood ■ Loud discordant sound/intense colors ■ Morbols

OTHER ■ Alignment: Neutral Good ■ Vice(s): Drinks alcohol, sometimes to drunkenness ■ Favorite Food: Tomato Pie ■ Favorite Drink: Tawny Port Wine ■ Favorite Color: Blue

Appearance & Personality

The bard stands at a short stature compared to most midlander women, but with great posture and poise. Her carroty red hair is shorn short and her head is very rarely seen without a hat of some kind - usually highly decorated and adorned with feathers. Ayla has a distinctive scar that cuts across the bridge of her nose, interrupting a smattering of freckles that litter her nose and cheeks. Her attire usually matches her headgear, ornate and complex with many patterns and designs, and has a tendency to either show a little skin and/or be flowing and loose.

Ayla's life thus far has been filled with love and acceptance. Thus, she shows the same to most everyone she meets. The bard almost always has a smile on her face and a cheerful attitude. She has a tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve; most people can figure out how she feels at any given moment. Ayla is verbose and well-spoken, owing to her educated background and charisma. To those who know her well, there seems to be a small, lingering sadness in her eyes that never seems to shake even when she's at her happiest. Despite this, she is always optimistic.

Oddly enough, Ayla always seems to look like she never gets enough sleep. Some days, it's pretty apparent that she's dead on her feet.

Biography

Childhood

Ayla was born to Keiran and Sharlene Thatcher in the Fifth Umbral Moon, a little over two decades ago. Sharlene, unfortunately, died while giving birth to Ayla, leaving Keiran to raise her and juggle his position in the Order of the Twin Adders. She grew up in Gridania with older sister Valencia and older brothers Anselm and Drake, and never had a shortage of people there for her. As she grew up, she helped out around the farm and met several other children. She eventually befriended most of the kids in the city, but her best friends included a little, punch-happy girl named Avery Weaver, and one little boy about 3 years older than her, named Stefan Arkwright. When she was under 10 years old, a farming accident - a thrown trowel - left a scar across her nose that would never really fade.

Pre-Calamity

Ayla began training as an archer as soon as she was able to hold a bow. She was Keiran's pride and joy, and he hoped as she grew older she would continue her archery study. With every passing year, Ayla's voice developed and her interest in music grew - her mother Sharlene's influence working on her even in death. It seemed the girl was born with a great potential to be a bard, judging from her easy grasp on melody and harmony at such a young age. At first, she resisted it - she didn't want to sit in Gridania singing for people. When she learned what it really meant to be a bard, and that her mother was one of the best in the city, she took her talents to heart.

Ayla continued running around with Avery, unintentionally leaving havoc in their wake. Though she was great friends with the girl, she didn't quite know who her family was. Avery helped Ayla learn how to fight without weapons, using her fists and feet to defend herself should she get into trouble wandering around Bentbranch Meadows alone - which Keiran didn't allow her to do specifically for safety reasons.

The girl's friendship with Stefan slowly turned into something deeper in their teens. Neither really knew what those feelings were, or when they crossed from friendship to love, but the two decided that they couldn't quite live without each other. The two struck out on adventures together in the Black Shroud - a lancer and an archer solving minor issues in the little villages around Gridania. When they were of age, they joined the Order of the Twin Adders together.

Post-Calamity

To be added!

Miscellaneous

RUMORS Some of these rumors are untrue or are greatly exaggerated. Please feel free to add your own rumors under PC! ◢ Common Rumors (Easily overheard) ■ "She might seem nice, but I hear she's an ice queen. Won't give anyone the time of day, if you know what I mean." -- a Young Man in New Gridania ■ "I think they gave her the worst chocobo of the bunch..." -- A Serpent Requisition Officer ■ "Such a pretty girl with a pretty voice! But she always sings the saddest songs!" -- A Wood Wailer in Bentbranch Meadows ◢ Moderate Rumors (Moderately difficult to overhear) ■ "That bard's head is in the clouds every night; all she does is stare at the sky." -- A passerby in the Goblet ■ "That Thatcher girl kept getting into trouble with that little Weaver girl. They just couldn't leave well enough alone and destroyed the fruit stand. That Ayla's a wild child and must be avoided." -- A fruit stand worker in Gridania ◢ Rare Rumors (Very difficult or rarely overheard) ■ "They say she's not really happy. She plays at being happy because she's lonely. I would be too if a giant rock killed my lover." -- A former instructor at the Archer's Guild ◢ PC Rumors (Rumors from the character's of other players) ■ "The fair Miss Thatcher? As lovely as the Gridanian dawn, and sharp as the arrows she lets fly! So wise and wonderful a woman deserves naught but the best that life can provide!" -- Zigovali Rigovali, Lalafellin arcanist ■ "Ayla? She's my best friend. One of the few people who immediately took me in and showed me kindness. I'll repay her, someday." - Natsumi Yatsurugi ■ ■

RELATIONS ♥ Romantic Interest    ♥ Platonic Love     ● Good Standing     ● Poor Standing ♥ The Thatcher Siblings : Ayla loves all three of her siblings a lot. They're all very close with the exception of Anselm and Ayla - for some reason, he doesn't seem to get along with her very well. ♥ Natsumi Yatsurugi : Natsumi is the au ra currently sleeping on one of her couches. Ayla calls her her roommate and the au ra is easily her best friend. Despite the bard's tendency to go off alone on adventures, she more than welcomes having Natsumi along, but cares about her so much that she's often too worried about her friend's back to watch her own! ● Rikitiki Tavatiki : TALE's Doyen, and the lalafell that interviewed her and invited her into the free company. Ayla looks up to Riki and enjoys the times she talks to him and adventures with him. ● Zigovali Rigovali : A lalafellin arcanist that started out as a tagalong to Ayla and her roommate Natsumi's adventures, but ended up becoming a friend to the bard. She is currently helping him learn how to read.

Gallery

• None yet!

Footnotes

Template by Bancroft Gairn, thank you!

Ayla is a mezzo-soprano, with a tone and range similar to Sara Bareilles

Theme Song: Rhythm, Chord and Melody + I Hear That Music Play - The Reign of Kindo

TV Tropes: Determinator, Failure Knight, Adorkable, Nice Hat, Friendly Sniper, The Mourning After, Chaste Hero, and The Bard, of course.