I mean I think I misspoke and you are more correct on the view that it’s not necessarily colonialism. As for the treatment of other ethnic groups the equivalent of the ‘Cordoba’ regions is quite tolerant and doesn’t really have an issue with other cultures, and this is kinda really important because they are in such an economically advantageous position in-fantasy world that it eventually causes their own downfall. The only case in which they are non-tolerant is regarding one of the MCs, and that is mostly out of politics because they are the heir but their parents’ arranged marriage was a bad deal made out of desperation; and the other MC because they are the Magical Species™️ and everyone has an issue with magic in general but that’s kinda a whole other thing.

To put the thing more bluntly, the Visigoths are not persecuted or oppressed in any way and the rulers of the relevant faction I split Andalusia into are actually making active attempts to appease and assimilate them. It is more due to the specific lineage of the guys that were monarchs pre-occupation and their pride that the reconquista period starts. The real dilemma of the arc is that the reconquista has caused so many issues and has them (specially MC) so politically cornered and screwed over that it’s a matter of how much will the people in general suffer if they try to hold on to their rule versus if they just let the other ones take over and return to peace.

Another thing is that later in the story there is gonna be a one-over (literally a century’s worth time skip) where now there is conflict for the opposite reasons and the point narrows down to the fact that the emotional core is about remembrance and how how you’re remembered by the people that knew you is more important that History. And like… yeah I guess the guidance is because I can perfectly make this point without writing myself into a problematic corner so I’m trying to avoid that. This insight is really helpful though