Five Questions About Getting Back Part 4

The time will soon come when we will sit beside one another around the late night campfire, raise goblets together as we feast, or cross swords on the field of war, and all of us are looking forward to the day where we are safely and responsibly playing Realms together again. Thinking of the better days are just around the corner, we asked you some questions about getting back to playing Realms. 

Answers by: Mikey Donnelly and Steve Nelson

In your time away from Realms, what have you been spending your hobby-time on instead of going to or preparing for events? 

Mikey: I’ve been spending a lot of time on self improvement.  I have been working on losing weight, running, hiking and doing some basic cooking.  I’ve also been running Home Questing, and playing an online version of the Social Deduction board game called “Blood on the Clocktower.”  There have been a number of trips to ropes courses which I tried for the first time during the pandemic, and they have been a blast.

Steve: I was once pretty serious about art, mostly painting and drawing, but photography too. It's one of those things that tends to fall away as life and jobs and raising kids gets hectic. Well over the last year or so I’ve had a bit of an artistic relapse. You might have seen me posting some pictures. And while I haven’t had much opportunity to travel and go interesting places to take new pictures during lockdown I have worked on learning some new tools and techniques for post processing the years of pictures that I already have. I like to think that the results have been somewhat better than I’ve been able to accomplish in the past. I also got a good film scanner, which has helped me digitize and tap into a lot of photos that I took back in the film days. I’ve been using it to digitizing some of the old family pictures too.

Aside from photography I’ve also been doing a better job of keeping up with a regular exercise routine. Between that and not running around in the woods chasing people with padded sticks, the condition of my knees and shoulder have improved dramatically. So when it starts up again, I’m hoping to have added some more years to my capacity for the chasing friends with sticks.

Snowsythia by Steven Nelson

Accepting as fact that there are lots of things that we have all missed, what have you missed the most about being at Realms Events? 

Mikey: There are two main things: The people and the stories.  It really feels weird not seeing many of my friends a few times a month, and I can’t wait for that again.  In addition, just staying up late, and recounting stories of what happened, either today or years ago, is always fun.

Steve: Certainly what I’ve missed most has been spending time with friends. But I’ve also realized how much some core events have begun to symbolize the changing of seasons for me. There are some that I have rarely, if ever, missed since I started playing. 

Are there are plots or specific events or anything that you are particularly looking forward to for after the Realms gets going again?

Mikey: I’m looking forward to seeing what people come up with, but two plot lines jump to my mind immediately.  First, there is the end of the Echoes of Ragnarok series, where we may or may not have caused dinosaurs to be the dominant species there, and second is the Tales from Teng Hua series, which has a nice mix of quests and small personal connections.

Steve: I’m looking forwards to seeing how the Norlund plot wraps up. But I’m also looking forward to feeling more active. One thing that Realms has helped me do is get outside and get moving for more than just yard work.

Posted without comment.

Have you concocted any grand plans of any kind for once we can get back to Realms? Events you are planning or things you are going to do with your character? Any secret projects you've been working on that you want to give us a hint about? 

Mikey: Unfortunately, nothing too large, although I as a person have changed, so I will be interested in seeing how that ends up being portrayed in Janus.  As for any secret projects, there have been a few ideas I have been tossing around in my head for a while that started as a “how can I hold a safe socially distant event” which may or may not some day get incorporated into an event.

Steve: Not really

Anything else you'd like to say to the Realms about this past year we've spent apart from each other or in anticipation of us seeing one another again?

Mikey: I miss you all, and can’t wait to see you again.

Steve: Now that it looks like the Realms will be reopening, let’s all try to appreciate that people have been through a lot. There will be a lot of concerns and even fears about coming together again and how to do it safely. Some will undoubtedly wait longer to return to the community than others. Some may not return at all. There’s going to be a lot of personal reasons behind these choices. Let’s try to respect those choices, and understand that people are in different places on their journey back to a “normal” life.