Gnome "ducking" against walls
 

Never played a Gnome before - is this Classic/normal? First picture is standing near the wall, 2nd picture is what happens when I touch any wall. You basically "duck." It's not auto-duck, I still move at proper speed, and zoomed out I'm not in a crouching position anyway. The camera just moves close to the ground. Just wondering if this was actually a thing back in the day.
https://i.imgur.com/TXKDCUK.png
https://i.imgur.com/4XZ5cNT.png

Yep, that's classic. It's a glitch.

Gnomes naturally duck when near walls and surfaces as it reminds them of their home, Ak`Anon where random gnomes have left their home made, explosion prone, inventions scattered around on the walls and roofs (somehow). It is a natural borne instinct to duck and be careful when approaching a wall for them. Years of doing this has allowed gnomes to duck and run near a wall with no change to their movespeed.

One additional thing for you

https://wiki.project1999.com/Viewport

It is a part of how Gnomes channel their ultimate power, the Eye of Saurognome to see through walls to locate their prey. A hungry gnome using this technique can spot muffins and other snacks through walls up to 50 miles away.