Thank you
@DensleyBlair!
And now to pass this on - I am going to be guilty of keeping this within the HOI4 family, by nominating a writer whose recent work I greatly admire. He writes beautifully descriptively, conveying, in his most recent work,
The Thorn of the Rose, (check it out, it's quite new!) a sense of mystery of which I am envious. The pacing is perfect, as is the update rate. Critically, for me, he is a writer who always acknowledges and responds to the comments by his readership (to me this is sacrosanct).
It gives me the greatest of pleasure to nominate
@stnylan - a well deserved WritAAR of the week!
Thank you
@Le Jones - that is a very kind and generous nomination.
I hope I continue to live (or perhaps I should say "write" up to it.
How on earth did I miss the fact that
@stnylan was back writing again?! Will greatly enjoy catching up very soon.
Many congratulations!
Thank you. As every and as always, only if you have time.
Thank you
Congratulations
@stnylan , you deserve it richly my friend!
Thank you my friend
Congrats
@stnylan!
Have to say that I've been enjoying the new story immensely.
I am glad.
Congratulations indeed
@stnylan a well deserved award for some excellent writing in an intriguing story. And of course it is nice to see your work on the 'other side of the pen' get recognised rather than your regular (though always deserved) Fan of the Week award.
Thank you. It is nice to get one of the other awAARds
All
My first AAR in these forums began on 28th December 2002, and was titled
MonAARstery Chronicles: A Muscowian Russian AAR . I don't know if other writAARs remember such details, but I still remember fondly my first ever commentator
@J. Passepartout. But also how
@Storey helped me out with an early matter of presentation, and of the encouragement I got from my first regular cohort of commentators such as
@Storey @Valdemar and
@Norgesvenn
That was very nearly 17½ years ago.
So much has happened over those last 17½ years, including starting work in the NHS, meeting folks from these forums, suicidal depression, mental health condition diagnosis, redeployment to IT within the NHS, losing falling in love, marriage, parenthood and unclehood, break-up, more depression, Brexit, and now Covid-19. But though I have had a few years here and there when I was mostly absent, these forums - and in particular the AAR subfora - have been here. And very time I have returned I have found a recognisable community.
Not an unchanging one, for this is a human endeavour and therefore constantly in motion - impacted by the arbitrary (forum re-designs
) and the march of technology - but still the community I am part of today feels like the community that first welcomed me 17½ years. Of those I named earlier I know for sure one has passed, and only one is even occasionally active. But this is the same community, even so.
This AAR is a project long thought about, but given impetus by Covid-19. Not because I suddenly have free time - I most assuredly do not (my department, along with the rest of the NHS, has been slightly busy of late). Rather I needed something to do, and all the activity gave me the shove I needed. I am very glad I did so. Twice before in my live this community has given me the support to see me through difficult times. Well, the same is true today. And whilst I cannot speak for anyone else, I am sure others feel the same way too. This place just brightens up my day.
Thank you all for being part of this community
And thank you to everyone who has commentated so far in my AAR. I still remember my first comment from
@J. Passepartout and how excited I was. It is one reason I try comment as widely as I do. Therefore I say to anyone who has read to the end of this rambling monologue, if you only have time to add one extra AAR to your schedule, don't choose mine. Chose an AAR by a new writAAR, and give someone else the joy of regular comments.
To view is very human, in these trying times to comment is divine.