MSQ - what's next? [spoilers]

[EdwinLi]

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Ya Yotsuyu is basically the key focus of what Doma may become depending on what punishment she may get. Her crimes cannot be ignored but the Old Doma government was what created her to begin with as her sadistic nature most likely may never have developed if her life was different.

Dealing with the flaws of the old Doma government may most likely be one of Hien's greatest challenges and true test to see if he can create a better Doma.

[Cilia]

I'm more inclined to believe Yotsuyu was the product of Doman culture, not flaws in the Doman government.

As you should know, Doma is largely a Japan analogue, sharing much of its culture, architecture, etc. Something most people don't know about Japanese culture, though, is that they tend to keep family matters private - especially bad things that could be seen as shameful, such as psychological problems, shut-ins (hikikomori), and abuse. More like than not nobody outside of Yotsuyu's family knew of her plight, and they would not tell anyone for fear of being (rightfully) shamed over it. Yotsuyu herself says she was told to just "grin and bear it... for the family."

The government official in the Echo scene with her and her mother is also an Imperial, though without more information - how old Yotsuyu is, how old she was in that scene, when her real mother died, etc. - it's tough to say how long she suffered her mother's abuse under Imperial rule.

[Valenth]

I wonder if we're going to see more of Aulus. I didn't think the WoL killed him in the Ala Mhigo dungeon, so if he's still running around, he could be trouble.

He reminds me so much of Bed-man from the Guilty Gear Xrd games. Sitting in a bed-like chair, utilizing soul-related powers, analytical. Heck he even has a similar hairstyle and colour-scheme (purplish straight hair, glasses)! I can't help but wonder if we're dealing with an archetype I'm as of yet unaware of?

For those who don't know who Bed-Man is:

[BlakeWolfe]

Glad to see I'm not the only curious about Yotsuyu's past. Seriously, that Echo flashback and what she says at the end of Doma Castle have a few potential timeline disrepencies with each other. Flashback shows her "aunt" talking to an Imperial soldier about her son's future in their apparent schools, younger!Yotsuyu shows up and Imperial starts questioning, "Hm, you only have one kid registered, who is this?" "My niece, I swear." "okay....", and then some arrangement gets made. End vision. Later Yotsuyu brings up her mistreatment by her mother, father, and brother (odds are those were the "aunt" and "cousin" in the vision), that they forced her to marry someone to get their family a better position, he died with tons of debts forcing her to pay them off as a prostitute..yet the guy in the vision clearly lived (until Alisae protected us from him). So, either that guy wasn't who she was forced to marry, he was not quite as dead as she thought, or we're getting two sets of lies that are headbutting with each other.

As for where 4.X could go: I can totally see it just being, for the first three patches anyway, the restoration and rebuilding of Doma and Ala Mhigo, with 4.4 and 4.5 being our set up for 5.0. Will we get to see Thavnair, the Burn, and the island of Sharlayan in 4.X? I don't think so. That would likely mean adding another set to the Aether Current zone list, which is possible, but unlikely until another expansion. That and the in game world map does not show Thavnair, or Sharlayan proper. As for "The Burn" to the south of the Nhaama desert (which itself is partially in the Azim Steppe), I could see that being either a dungeon itself (Xelphatol dungeon vs zone says hello), or being part of the Return to Ivalice raid depending on where Rabanastre and Dalmasca are (if they're going to be connected to the Ivalice raid as well).

[alimdia]

For one I'd love if they gave us access to the city of Ala Mhigo (and permanent access to the royal menagerie please!), and the doman enclave seems like a prime spot for slow rebuild over patches like Idyllshire and Revenant's Toll.

[Rosenoire]

Glad to see I'm not the only curious about Yotsuyu's past. Seriously, that Echo flashback and what she says at the end of Doma Castle have a few potential timeline disrepencies with each other. Flashback shows her "aunt" talking to an Imperial soldier about her son's future in their apparent schools, younger!Yotsuyu shows up and Imperial starts questioning, "Hm, you only have one kid registered, who is this?" "My niece, I swear." "okay....", and then some arrangement gets made. End vision. Later Yotsuyu brings up her mistreatment by her mother, father, and brother (odds are those were the "aunt" and "cousin" in the vision), that they forced her to marry someone to get their family a better position, he died with tons of debts forcing her to pay them off as a prostitute..yet the guy in the vision clearly lived (until Alisae protected us from him). So, either that guy wasn't who she was forced to marry, he was not quite as dead as she thought, or we're getting two sets of lies that are headbutting with each other.

Yeah, I noticed the discrepancies too; her story doesn't match up with the Echo vision on several points. Her caretaker is her aunt, who claims her mother is dead. We don't see a brother, just the cousin, who looks to be about Yotsuyu's age. I suppose it's possible she has a brother that we don't see. However, given that her aunt seems to make a distinction between her actual son, whom she clearly dotes on, and her adopted niece, it seems odd that he'd be in a position to arrange a marriage for her. Then there's the exchange between her aunt and the Imperial soldier. She tells him "Though…a thought occurs to me. Mayhap we can come to an understanding…" And the soldier--who seems to be ethnically Doman--looks thoughtful. Whoever he was, his words prior to the Echo thing suggest that he knew her pretty well.

I'm not sure that we should take her account of her childhood at face value. The fact that her caretaker was abusive--most likely because she didn't consider Yotsuyu her "real" daugter--and the fact that she worked in a brothel, which is confirmed by Gotsetsu, appear to be true. Everything else she said may have been true...or it may have been a sob story that she's practiced, used her to distract the party. Which it did.

I suspect that she was sold--not into marriage, but to the soldier. It's common in places under military occupation, especially places where an orphan girl is considered pretty much useless. It still makes sense that she would develop a hatred for Domans, but it's maybe not quite as straighforward as she wants us to believe.

[Daralii]

Yeah, I noticed the discrepancies too; her story doesn't match up with the Echo vision on several points. Her caretaker is her aunt, who claims her mother is dead. We don't see a brother, just the cousin, who looks to be about Yotsuyu's age. I suppose it's possible she has a brother that we don't see. However, given that her aunt seems to make a distinction between her actual son, whom she clearly dotes on, and her adopted niece, it seems odd that he'd be in a position to arrange a marriage for her. Then there's the exchange between her aunt and the Imperial soldier. She tells him "Though…a thought occurs to me. Mayhap we can come to an understanding…" And the soldier--who seems to be ethnically Doman--looks thoughtful. Whoever he was, his words prior to the Echo thing suggest that he knew her pretty well.

I'm not sure that we should take her account of her childhood at face value. The fact that her caretaker was abusive--most likely because she didn't consider Yotsuyu her "real" daugter--and the fact that she worked in a brothel, which is confirmed by Gotsetsu, appear to be true. Everything else she said may have been true...or it may have been a sob story that she's practiced, used her to distract the party. Which it did.

I suspect that she was sold--not into marriage, but to the soldier. It's common in places under military occupation, especially places where an orphan girl is considered pretty much useless. It still makes sense that she would develop a hatred for Domans, but it's maybe not quite as straighforward as she wants us to believe.

I think we might have been intended to take her aunt's "offer" as her selling Yotsuyu as someone's wife, in exchange for her cousin's schooling. The soldier would probably have been an intermediary or retainer of some lord, and would have been in a position to see her abuse firsthand.

Her husband's death and later her status as a prostitute at the very least are most likely true, since Gosetsu references them when he's trying to egg her on during the torture scene.

[Rosenoire]

I think we might have been intended to take her aunt's "offer" as her selling Yotsuyu as someone's wife, in exchange for her cousin's schooling. The soldier would probably have been an intermediary or retainer of some lord, and would have been in a position to see her abuse firsthand.

Her husband's death and later her status as a prostitute at the very least are most likely true, since Gosetsu references them when he's trying to egg her on during the torture scene.

I'd missed Gosetsu referring to her husband by name, so yes, I'll add that to the "probably true" column.

The soldier was wearing Imperial-style armor, and suggesting her cousin might get to study in Garlemald, which wouldn't have happened were Doma not a Garlean province at that point. Also, for that scene to have taken place prior to the occupation, Yotsuyu would have to be much older than she appears--remember that the occupation was 25 years before Stormblood. Plus, he made the offer before he saw Yotsuyu.

For me, the discrepancies make her a lot more interesting. I like the idea that she told exactly the story that she knew would get her audience--people who like to think of themselves as honorable--to listen, instead of doing the smart thing and saying, "That's nice; now I'm going to kill you."

[Daralii]

I'd missed Gosetsu referring to her husband by name, so yes, I'll add that to the "probably true" column.

The soldier was wearing Imperial-style armor, and suggesting her cousin might get to study in Garlemald, which wouldn't have happened were Doma not a Garlean province at that point. Also, for that scene to have taken place prior to the occupation, Yotsuyu would have to be much older than she appears--remember that the occupation was 25 years before Stormblood. Plus, he made the offer before he saw Yotsuyu.

For me, the discrepancies make her a lot more interesting. I like the idea that she told exactly the story that she knew would get her audience--people who like to think of themselves as honorable--to listen, instead of doing the smart thing and saying, "That's nice; now I'm going to kill you."

I know that Doma was occupied, but I'm assuming that whatever system of provincial governors or nobility was maintained for a time to enforce the Empire's will across the nation while they worked to consolidate power under the Viceroy.

[Clethoria]

Lyse's final words with us made it seem like the Scions and Ala Mhigo are gonna take 5 for awhile. So my guess is Doma and maybe a conflict with the Lupin. Yugiri needs a hug.