#runia

By the way, during my first 100 hours in the game I didn’t even know you could transfer screenshots from the console to your phone painlessly and without a flash drive, so for that party I only have them in this quality.

This is Runia! I really love the journey she’s been through and how her appearance changed over time.

At the start, she was a rather calm character, often a meticulous know-it-all — though it showed more in dialogue than in actions. Instead of reacting emotionally to some nonsense, she’d keep asking questions until she squeezed out every detail. She was far more interested in books than in relationships, and she didn’t find anyone in camp attractive (honestly, I had more connection with Gurguts, a half-orc played by my boyfriend — but we weren’t lovers, just very contrasting companions who could always rely on each other). At one point, Withers even hinted that in times like these, it might be good to have someone by her side. Runia rolled her eyes, but in truth, that comment stuck with her, and she sometimes found herself thinking she didn’t feel entirely whole.

After the githyanki fight near the mountain pass — when they were barely standing (that fight is always the hardest for me in Act One) — Runia spotted a gith among the corpses, the same one who had escaped the nautiloid with her. She’d often wondered whether she had survived. Runia used her resurrection scroll to bring Lae’zel back after she’d been killed by her own people (in my first playthrough we simply never found her — or Gale — and I actually love that she joined the party so late; it gave her and Runia’s relationship a sudden burst of development).

If you’ve ever romanced Lae’zel, you know how much personal growth she goes through, and especially how beautifully she opens up in a relationship. Lae’zel is, if I’m not mistaken, 21 — maybe a bit older. When I found that out, I thought, “Ah, that explains a lot about her behavior.” Runia is also quite young, and I like to think about how much they gave each other in their romance. Around Lae’zel, Runia unconsciously became more confident; her words gained a certain firmness. She began taking the initiative more often (especially with their first kisses — Lae’zel was so shy!). Runia was, as they say, falling in love, even though neither of them started things with that intention.

By Act Three, Runia changes her hairstyle. I like how her neat buns turn into a high ponytail — to me, it really reflects her inner changes. This was also when she embraced the potential of the astral tadpole (and visually, I think it suited her a lot). She became a bit obsessed with the idea of defeating the Absolute — driven not by anger, but by fear of losing all the good and important things she’d gained during their tadpole journey. Lae’zel understood her sacrifice and didn’t say anything. Still, Runia often woke up from nightmares in which she became a mind flayer and Lae’zel left her because of it (I had stuffed her brain with tadpoles at that point, convinced she’d turn into a squid, lol).

She may look like a stereotypical villain at this stage, but she’s not. Her moral compass shifted a little, and she became more indifferent to minor misfortunes of strangers, focusing primarily on herself and her companions.

We’re coming to the end of this little introduction to the character. I’m really glad so many story beats worked out the way they did — it made me love both her and her partner so much even at that stage. For me, Runia is a soulmate, the best canonical partner for Lae’zel. I’ve tried romancing Lae’zel in another campaign, but it didn’t have the same soul or special vibe. One day, I plan to replay as her, take lots of great screenshots, gather reference material, make beautiful art, and of course romance Lae’zel again — because for me, it’s one of the best romances in the game (though I haven’t explored them all yet). And naturally, I’ll make up a bunch of extra headcanons for them.

I actually need to research tieflings more, because I don’t know much about them. I’m still not sure if a tiefling–sorcerer–dragon descendant is all that realistic within the Baldur’s Gate universe.

Oh, and all my friends say this character looks like me facially — which is true, there is a certain resemblance.

Title: The End Of The Dream Artist: Runia Source: Tales of Zestiria Comic Anthology (DNA Media Comics) Story / Chapter: 13 Synopsis: For a long time, Lailah kept on waiting for a  new Shepherd, until Sorey finally arrives. Scanlation: maboroshi-no

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