Quote Originally Posted by MediocreIndigo View Post
On the subject of Fordola I think it was interesting how Stormblood portrayed the different reactions the Ala Mhigans had to Imperial rule. Fordola doesn't serve the Empire out of a sense of loyalty (she's constantly treated like crap by her Garlean peers for being Ala Mhigan and she watched Imperial soldiers stand by and do nothing as she and her father were attacked by an angry mob), but rather because she believed it was the most realistic path to gain respect from the Garleans. She couldn't fathom the idea of Ala Mhigo driving the Empire out because she had lived under it her entire life. She's proven wrong after the Ala Mhigan Resistance successfully liberates the nation, and while she initially resigns herself to execution after having done all the things she did, she's given a new purpose by Lyse and Raubahn (albeit as a conscript) and begins to use her skills for good. I really enjoyed where they took her character during the healer role quests.
Yeah, Fordola is one of the few characters left untainted imho. Her character development is one of the very few I actually enjoy to this day. She was mistreated by her own kinsmen rather then their oppressors, which is a rarity to see being shown realistically and properly and is rather more common than some unsavory characters on the other side of the divide would like to admit. Her feelings on the matter were by and large rather valid, even if her subsequent actions leave a lot to be desired and frankly harmed her case. Then, come Endwalker unlike some others her goals and motivations remain largely unchanged. She regrets all the things she feels she shouldn't have done, yes. However, unlike some others she does not sacrifice previous aspects of her character in exchange for new, more palatable ones. She evolves, rather than is hamfistedly changed on a dime. A butterfly metamorphosis, rather than a statue rendered a lump of clay and completely reformed.