Well this is certainly a pleasant surprise, especially given -- of late -- my time is very turbulent and ebbs and flows with ups and downs. But, as
@Nikolai implicated, I do try to spend more of that free time reading and commenting.
Writing is, of course, the great endeavor and spirit of humanity. I don't say this as a professional writer myself; I know first hand -- on this forum and elsewhere in real life -- that the best writAARs write because they have a passion inside of them to do so, and they engage in this noble and heroic endeavor which is time consuming and mentally demanding, not for themselves but for others. The Greek Fathers had a term to explain the Trinity which I find apt in the spirit of writing: perichoresis. Perichorsesis is the waltz of the Godhead in an overflow of love, joy, and communion that perpetually abounds and grows and grows and grows until all things are brought into the dance. Here in AARland, all of our writAARs, small or large, old or young, invite us into that dance of love, joy, and community that writing brings.
Spending a great amount of time not merely playing a game, but then taking that game experience into an AAR experience, is burdensome! And there is nothing more special, whether it's our first AAR, or yet another AAR, when we find faces -- old and new -- who decide to join the dance. It provides the fuel to continue, to be creative, and to not be discouraged by the silent void. Nikolai provided a wonderful list of AARs, some of which I myself am a very joyful participant of, so I will not double dip other than to say I wholeheartedly would agree with everyone of Nikolai's AAR promotion because of his good taste, and to give a special nod to the recommendations of
@Macavity116 @mad orc @HistoryDude and
@Cora Giantkiller. But I would like to invite all to
@Sinister2202 and his
War of the Stars AAR for keeping the classic NARRATIVE AAR alive in Stellaris with a bold new entry. An old favorite of mine is also
@Eurasia and his
Road of Queens in CK2. Hopefully CK2, with so many great AARs still ongoing, won't be eclipsed too quickly by CK3's arrival.
@Tommy4ever, an old warhorse and friend, not to mention megacampaign fiend, seems to have an incredible pace of writing and is already in Vic 2 with his
Here Dwells a Jewish God. I must shamefully admit I have not even finished the EU4 campaign. But I have no doubt that the Vic 2 continuation is superb as his works tend to be.
@slothinator, funny name!
also has a great little AAR in Vic 2 going on with a nation that is always overlooked in the Italian Peninsula.
Annutio Vobis: A Papal History of Italy is another honorable entry into Victoria 2's favorite genre of AARs: History Book.
There are no doubt many other great AARs out there. And it should noted, here, that every WritAAR who merely takes that leap of courage to posting is a hero of the AARland community and forum.
I'm sure the publishers won't mind, but in June for a literary journal, when discussing the importance of reading, I stated:
Writing is the manifestation of our attempt to understand ourselves, our place in the cosmos, and our destiny. Reading, then, is the endeavor to partake in the pilgrimage of the self through a world of violence to the cosmos of loving abundance. We read to heal ourselves, to discover ourselves, to save ourselves.
While I may have written that in the context of Homer, Dante, and Tolstoy, I believe it is also true here in AARland. Every AAR is an invitation to join in a pilgrimage, a journey, a sojourn, perhaps through the cosmos (as in Stellaris), perhaps through pictures, perhaps through characters invented or historically reimagined.
To the writAARs of AARland, without you there couldn't be a Fan of the Week! And to all Fans of the Week, past, present, and future: Let us never forget that every AAR is an invitation to participate in something beautiful. Let us also remember that even the simplest comment can lift up the writAAR to new heights. And perhaps, just perhaps, you'll get to know a forumite in person as is my case! WritAAR and Fan are interlinked in a waltz together! We do not exist in isolation of each other.