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Mae Borowski is currently a stub. Events section is unfinished. Help out the wiki by expanding the page! |
| “ | I will unlock your ass! | ” |
—Mae Borowski
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Margaret Borowski, better known as Mae, is the player character and main protagonist of Night in the Woods. After Mae drops out of college, she comes back to her hometown of Possum Springs, and moves back in with her parents.
Profile
Appearance
Mae is a dark blue cat with dark blue fur and dyed red hair on the top of her hair, which has since faded into a dark red. She has large red eyes. Her right ear is also notched from a dog attack, and Mae can be seen flicking this ear frequently throughout the game while idle.
Her attire consists of an orange shirt with long red sleeves, with a slashed zero design in the center. Mae also has dark grey jeans and wears boots that are described as "cheap green-ish knock-off Doc Martens". [1]
Mae is noticeably shorter than others in Possum Springs and considers herself to be overweight. Her grandfather called her "sturdy," an assessment that Mae ultimately agrees with, and worries that her style of clothing accentuates her "roundness".
Personality
Mae Borowski is known to be energetic and agile, enjoying to climb things whenever possible. Her close friends and family (and the police) reference her habits of climbing electrical poles, tightrope walking on the power lines, and general running around and jumping. Mae Borowski has a troubled past, primarily with depression and anger issues. She was instructed, early in her youth, to "repress" these issues by Dr. Hank, something that Mae appears to have taken to heart.
Her emotional turmoil is later revealed to be stemmed from a dissociative episode, leading to a violent episode, something that Mae calls the Incident. She can be seen as a disrespectful person, even referring to herself as "a jerk". As the game progresses, her more compassionate side is revealed. One example of this is when she comforting others, especially her friends during emotional moments. She seems to worry about Bruce and appears to genuinely care for her "rat babies" once she discovers them, even stealing pretzels from the pierogi stand in order to feed them.
She greatly loves and cares for her friends, and isn't afraid to express this. Mae is rather nostalgic and often reminisces about Possum Springs as it was when she left for college, though she often reflects on how much the town has changed since her absence.
Background
Mae was born between late 1996 or mid 1997, being age 20 by Autumn 2017. She is the only child of Candy and Stan Borowski, whose families worked the coal mines in Possum Springs for multiple generations. Since the mine closed the two parents worked and saved money to enable Mae to be the first member of the family to attend college. Mae went for three semesters but eventually dropped out due to her dissociative disorder and moved back into her parents' attic at the start of Night in the Woods.
Mae has always been a bit troubled: dissociation, depression, no direction and recently, a connection with what she believes to be paranormal activity in the town. When she was in high school her dissociation caused an incident, leaving her with a poor reputation in Possum Springs. She had no idea how to cope with these feelings, but after returning to Possum Springs, she begins to notice something suspicious going on in town, a trail of clues leading up
Young Mae as seen in one of the Night In The Woods supplemental games "Lost Constellation"
In Lost Constellation Mae is shown to be younger and asked her grandfather about robbing a bank at a young age, but they then enter into a conversation about jail, where Mae asks her grandfather to tell her a ghost story. This then leads to the main storyline of the game, with Mae interrupting the story to comment on certain portions of the story.
Friends
- Gregg - Gregg is Mae's best friend from high school. The two were well known for being troublemakers around town, and often committed acts that they vaguely refer to as "crimes". Gregg seems to have calmed since high school, but is re-inspired to do similar things to what they did when they were younger when Mae returns, a fact addressed in the game by Angus.
- Bea - Bea was Mae's former best friend from 7th grade and the grades before, but eventually grew apart. They were once in Scouts together. They stopped hanging out when they were in seventh grade, though they have varying opinions on the reason why. Mae refers to it as "having a big fight when they were twelve," though Bea just sees it as Mae finding herself too cool to be seen with Bea. She says that Mae had just stopped sitting with her at lunch and hadn't returned any of her calls all of the sudden, and was always with Gregg instead of her. Near the beginning of the game, Bea resents Mae, due to Mae wasting her opportunity to go college by dropping out, while Bea was unable to even go to college, due to family circumstances. They have made up with each other, however, and appear to have reformed their bond from their childhood via the events of the game.
- Casey Hartley - Another one of Mae's close friends who, shortly prior to the events of the game, disappears without a trace, a fact later discovered to be due to the cultists which are the game's main antagonists. Casey played drums in the band before going missing, later to be replaced by Bea, and did "crimes" with Gregg and Mae.
- Angus - Mae wasn't originally close to Angus and was initially acquainted with him through Gregg, as he is Gregg's boyfriend. Throughout the game, however, Mae and Angus become close friends, Angus even sharing very personal details of his childhood with Mae. They also play in the same band together.
- Selmers - Mae's neighbour and friend. Selmers likes to bounce her ideas for poems off of Mae, and believes herself to be a better poet because of Mae's willingness to listen.
- Mr. Chazokov - At the beginning of the game, Mae states that while she enjoyed the constellations in Mr. Chazokov's class, she didn't enjoy school in general. Throughout the game, Mae can view constellations, or "dusk stars", through his telescope on Selmers' roof every two days.
- Lori Meyers - Lori becomes close to Mae, if she visits the roof where Lori hangs out in Towne Centre. Lori will take Mae to visit the tracks a couple times to hang out, and Mae comforts her through her lack of self-worth.
- Germ - Germ and Mae also become very close friends if they hang out with each other. Germ seems to understand Mae and the problems she goes through. Mae sometimes doesn't understand Germ or his family but she tends to get along with him and finds him rather interesting and peculiar. Mae even visits his home and family, something not even Gregg has done.
- Cole - Cole is Mae's ex boyfriend, who she dated while in high school. Their break-up was non-amicable, and Mae still has mixed to bad feelings regarding it, often getting annoyed or mad whenever anyone brings it up. Their current relationship is nonexistent; despite Cole's efforts to be amicable and friendly with Mae during the party, Mae has a hard time interacting with him, and often shuts him down during their conversations.
Family
Mae's parents and her Aunt Molly are central characters in Night in the Woods. Her Granddad passes away before the events of the game, thus never making an appearance in the actual game and is only known through characters mentioning him or through supplemental games.
- Candy Borowski - Mae's kind and caring mother. She has maintained a good relationship with her daughter despite Mae having been away from Possum Springs. She and Mae have an argument about Mae having left college despite the family making extensive plans for it. It is implied through this argument that she and Mae's father put a lot of pressure on Mae that she had to succeed.
- Stan Borowski - Mae's friendly but forgetful father. He forgets which day Mae is expected to arrive at Possum Springs and doesn't go to the bus station to pick her up, which Mae expresses annoyance for, but they both agree to pretend that Stan remembered the correct day of her arrival.
- Aunt Molly - Nicknamed "Aunt Mall Cop" in a derogatory way, aunt Molly is strict and professional policewoman, despite her position being in a small town. She's the first person to meet Mae, finding her just outside the closed-down playground. She threatens to arrest her, then takes her home. She and Mae are generally amicable, despite Mae's distrust in cops, and Molly's disinterest for Mae's interests. Friction occurs between the two during Harfest, when Mae witnesses someone being kidnapped by a supposed ghost. Molly's complete disregard and disbelief put a further wedge, that only grows wider throughout the game. Despite their strained relationship, Molly still cares about Mae, as shown when she picks Mae up and drops her off at her parents' house on the first night, and warns Mae to be careful multiple times.
- Mae's Grandfather - Mae had a very strong connection with her grandfather, one that clearly shapes who she is now. He would tell her ghost stories, and read her books when she was little to help her fall asleep. After his death, Mae remembers him in a positive light, fondly reminiscing over the apple crate of horror books he left her. Mae's first doodle in her journal features a 'RIP Granddad ❤', and throughout the game Mae scribbles more doodles mentioning or featuring her grandpa. In the Weird Autumn update, if Mae follows Candy's sidestory, and takes a nap in The Church of the First Coalescence library, his ghost/spirit can be seen visiting Mae, silently watching over his granddaughter. He disappears once Mae wakes up.
- Anselm Borowski - Mae's ancestor who died in a war. Listed on the memorial statue in town, the name Anselm can be derived from "ans" for god and "helm" for helmet/protection.
Events
| Spoiler warning! This article contains major plot details about the game. |
Day/Night 1- The game starts off with Mae reading off white dialogue on a black screen. The player can choose several options for the dialogue. The full dialogue reads as this:
In the year Granddad died
We had the worst flood since 1998 / the highway extension came
Gregg was trapped on top of a dog house / the road through Possum Springs
The power was out for two days / had been the only way to the state park
Casey Hartley came by in his dad's boat / the highway took the traffic
And I laughed when I saw him / but gave us Donut Wolf
Granddad left me an apple crate of books
He loved ghost stories
And quoted them to himself on the hospital bed
"They went looking for the gods / They feared death / In their wings, in their trees
and died in lonely places / So they ate the young / All things die, be at peace."
on his last day
he sat up suddenly
and stared bug-eyed through the window
at the old playground / at the old train / at the old empty mill / at the old parking lots
half washed away / from somewhere else / windows half busted out / wide and sparkling like oceans
he turned to my dad
eyes still wide
"this house is haunted"
he said
and died.
After the dialogue, the player controls Mae in a bus station visiting her hometown of Possum Springs. On the left, you will run into a TV. When the TV turns on, it will switch to a show named "Garbo and Malloy".
Heading further left, the player will encounter The Janitor. He'll ask you to get him a Fiascola, which you have to get from the Fiasco Fox Vending Machine in order to progress the game. After acquiring the Fiascola, Mae gives it to the Janitor saying, "One freeasscola.". The Janitor then lets you through, and you end up at the Train Station.
Mae was expecting her parents to be there, but no one is there. She hikes through the woods to get to her parent's house. Mae has to climb a failed log load. While doing so, one of the logs break and causes the rest of the logs to tumble down with it. She is then able to climb over the rest of the logs and into the next scene.
In the next scene, Mae is found at the old abandoned Sawmill Park. She is able to interact with the broken ship, saying that it's "just a thing for weird animals to eat and have babies in.". To progress onto the next scene, Mae must 'triple' jump from the ship onto the branch, then jump and walk on the wire. Once she reaches the far left, she will fall onto her stomach and be caught by Aunt Molly. She will tell Mae that she found her "in the very off-limits playground" and will tell her to "get in the car.". Mae will say no to this, and Aunt Molly will respond, "Do you want to spend your first night back in jail, Mae?", with which Mae replies with "No."
After getting in the car, Mae will arrive at her house. Stan Borowski is seen sitting on the couch, and Mae will go to talk to him. She mentions that he was not there at the train station to pick her up, and Stan replies with, "I thought you were coming home tomorrow night!", which Mae replies with, "You thought wrong!". Stan asks Mae if she said 'hello' to Aunt Molly for him, which she says, "I say hi for no one. Eff the cops!". She then says she will go to bed, and after the last dialogue, the first journal entry is made, reading, "". She will then go to bed, triggering the end of Day 1.
Endings
| Spoiler warning! This article contains major plot details about the game. |
Gregg ending
To get the Gregg ending, the player must:
- Hang out with Gregg till the last playable band practice
- When you enter the location you will enter it with Gregg. You will start to have a conversation, but then there will be a choice to tell Casey's parents about Casey Hartley's death. Mae will also ask Gregg if she can move to Bright Harbor with him and Angus. He politely refuses, but says that she's welcome to visit any time she wishes. After the conversation, Angus and then Bea will arrive.
Bea ending
To get the Bea ending, the player must:
- Hang out with Bea till the last playable band practice
- Enter the location with Bea. The player will have a conversation with Bea, Casey Hartley's death will be mentioned and a choice of informing Casey's parents about his death. Mae suggests to Bea that they go on a road trip together to get out of Possum Springs for a while, telling Bea that she's "home enough", and that an episode of derealization wouldn't occur if the pair stuck together on the road. After the conversation, Angus and Gregg will come in and tease Bea and Mae. If the player chooses to reply to Gregg and Angus, Angus will state that he and Gregg haven't been "insulted in forever".
Trivia
- Mae hates beer and has a low tolerance for alcohol- she even claims that simply drinking cough syrup makes her feel woozy. She only got drunk during the party in the beginning of the game because she was nervous.
- Mae has been canonically confirmed as being pansexual by Scott Benson's Curious Cat page,[2]
- Mae is canonically a virgin, regardless of whether the player picks "yes" or "no" when asked about it.
- According to Longest Night, her sign is Mundy.
- Mae plays the bass guitar in a band with her friends, who make her play even though she doesn't know the band's songs (due to being out of town at college). However, if the player "plays" the songs perfectly, Gregg and Bea comment on her skill, and she replies simply, "All in a day's work."
- Mae cannot drive and doesn't own a driver's license.
- Before the Build #118 update, Mae appeared to have three shoes upon waking up in her room.
- She claims that eyes have evolved to notice movement, like dinosaurs. So if she were to stop moving while shoplifting, employees will not notice her commiting the crime. Her ability to avoid detection by being motionless is not shared by Bea.
- Mae has little knowledge of whales, not knowing that whales are not fish.[2]
- During the time she spent in college, Bea was said to have done Mae's bass parts on her computer. Bea states, "I understood them as the bass parts," and then proceeds to turn them off.
- Mae had attempted to take a paleontology class on dinosaurs, but the class was full. She explains that this is a popular class that fills up fast. Instead, she took a class on "death and dying", as she tells Bea during the investigation at the cemetery. Mae also mentions her attempt to take the class on dinosaurs to Angus if she hangs out with him at the park as part of their casual discussions on prehistory.
- Mae’s dialogue with Angus strongly supports her love of dinosaurs, as she also expressed being aware that certain dinosaurs are being depicted with feathers and jokingly calling them “big freaky chickens,” suggesting that she has knowledge on modern paleontological research on dinosaurs including their relations to birds.
- A dinosaur poster in Mae’s attic is an early-game hint towards Mae’s interests in dinosaurs, although it is only until later that Mae discusses the subject.
- Mae has a poster of a cat’s head with a witch head and the word “Witchdagger.” Later, Mae discusses with Germ that she is into Witchdagger, which is revealed to be a doom metal band. In the Harfest storyline, she enthusiastically wears a witch costume in reference to the band.
- Mae's grunts can be heard when she is about to sleep or if she jumps three times. This voice was provided by the game's sound designer, Em Halberstadt.
- Mae has a phobia of elevators, retorting so after Gregg makes a joke about being crushed in one.
- Mae has a strong love for both pizza and tacos, as she constantly references the two foods as amongst her favorites. Before the party in the woods event, Mae's parents ask if she wanted tacos, and one of Mae's dialogue choices suggests that she loves tacos to the point of wanting it every day. On her 2nd conversation on the train tracks with Lori, she twice expressed her wish for a taco place. When Taco Buck opened, she expressed strong excitement for the place that she considered it amongst the best things to happen to the town, then telling Danny that there isn't a single person in the world who doesn't love tacos. When Danny said that his ex disliked tacos, Mae jokingly emphasized that Danny's former interest is his ex as a result.
Gallery
References
Lost Constellation Characters
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Real World" Characters | |||||||
| Mae · Mae's Grandfather | |||||||
| Story Characters | |||||||
| Adina Astra · Astra's Lover · Cabin Wolf · Father Patience Forget-Not-God · Forest God · Godtender Brown · King Stevenson · The Huncher · The Huncher's Sister · The Kid · The Talking Cat | |||||||