Final Fantasy 16's Benedikta Deserved Better

gamespot.com:

Benedikta Harman is a deeply flawed woman. You can see this in her expressions, which are often twisted in rage, and her manipulation tactics, which lie twisted in bedsheets. She is temperamental, power-hungry, cruel, and conflicted, repeatedly switching back and forth between being the villain and the victim in her struggle for self-preservation. She is also one of the best female characters to appear in a Final Fantasy game in nearly two decades--and she deserved so much better than the treatment she received in Final Fantasy XVI.

Spoilers for Final Fantasy XVI ahead.

As Dominant of the wind harpy Garuda, Benedikta, in all her insatiable glory, is an inspired character. Much like the harpies depicted in Greek mythology, Benedikta is a beautiful vulture--hungry for scraps of power and sharp enough to take them. We see this in her aggression on the battlefield, and her submission to men she sees as powerful. Like the wind itself, she is ever-changing and capable of offering respite, or unleashing unfathomable destruction. In short, her Eikon perfectly suits her, and her relationship with Garuda feels like a true merging of souls rather than something transactional or hierarchical.

I was instantly drawn to Benedikta--her cat-like features, her destructive behavior, and the ideas she represented. And when she was stripped of Garuda's favor and power so early in the game's story, I became enamored with her. I grieved with her as she mourned her loss of identity and control, having been there a few times myself. And I found myself in awe of Nina Yndis' (the voice behind Benedikta) performance, and how she was able to convey panic and loss in a way that felt real--that felt palpable. I was enthralled by her story, and when