Will is on the way home, but his journey is not quite finished. Let’s unpack.

Coffee Breaks

I wish I had more time to spend in Great Roll and explore its coffee culture. Picture the Pacific Northwest, except more caffeinated.

Both Bug and Nobody have had serious caffeine restrictions imposed upon them by Sindy. With her back at The Throne the two gnomes are enjoying a coffee holiday, though Nobody remains a bit fearful she’s looking in on them ¹.

Nothing Changes

It’s one of the sad fundamental truths of the world, but systems are malleable. Traumatic events may cause a system to convulse, but then they will morph and re-envelop people into their flow. Systems enjoy momentum, even when they become toxic.

Great Roll is like that. The war was always “up the line,” and even the coronation of a Sovereign is of little interest to many who live secure in it’s mountain confines. It’s not their business, and they have other things to be worried about. Great Roll will change, but only after new influences are allowed in to redirect the system. Fifteen years from now it will be the most cosmopolitan city in The Realm, causing a new cultural movement to form. Also, the gnomes will begin exporting their coffee to the rest of The Realm. This will coincide with the “great idea boom” which will come to define Sindy’s reign.

Nobody’s Famous

Poor Nobody expected to be followed around by people interested in knowing what roll he played in defeating the Copyright Horde and begging for candid interviews about his daughter. He’s been rather disappointed it hasn’t happened, to tell you the truth.

The academic’s expectations have grown stronger as he’s approached the Applied Imagination Field which is still running in his basement lab. One doesn’t work so close to raw imagination, as Nobody has for years, without becoming a bit weird. Thanks to his affinity for AI, Nobody may be the weirdest gnome in The Realm. This is what makes him awesome.

Prophets wear robes

I mean everyone knows that. But then, so do wizards.

The Joys of Bureaucracy

I love how Bug was disappointed when the guard didn’t give him any trouble about his royal order. It’s a classic example of bureaucracy in action. You can come up with the most outlandish claim you can think of, but as long as the paperwork is in order folks won’t even bat an eye. It makes me sad.

Will Goes Home

I’m not certain he’ll ever return to The Realm, but Will will have a story to tell his grandkids!

I’ve said I may continue to explore The Realm through the eyes of Grimby and Fineflin, though, so The Realm may appear again.