The 2021 Character of the Year is...

[coz1]

Here we go to Character. A specialty category much like Graphics, it is to reward specific pieces of an AAR. In this case, a created character designed and built by our outstanding writAARs. I frankly stopped counting how many were given nomination because the list was so long. The appreciation was certainly spread around. Many AARs had multiple different characters nominated and there was not one that ran away from the rest of the field. Our top three were extremely close and the winner was not decided until the very last days of the vote. Certainly strong competition in an extremely competitive field. So now the reveal:

The 2021 Character of the Year is...

Sverker in Born to Breed: House of the Prophets by @Peter Ebbesen​

Many congratulations @Peter Ebbesen for a strongly fought battle (but of course he would!) Thus the runner up is...

Ged in Ged's Existential Nightmare by @TheButterflyComposer​

Last year's winner fought bravely but was ultimately overtaken. And then the bronze went to...

Inki Kald in Transcendental Spaces (fiction) by @JackGoose​

An extremely strong contender that could have conceivably won with just one more vote.

Many, many more were given nomination and they are listed here in order of the vote:

Lord Halifax in The King's First Minster by @El Pip

Cardinal Giulio Felicetti in Annuntio Vobis: A Papal History of Italy by @slothinator

Bud White in Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 by @Bullfilter

Field Marshall Sir Anthony C.H. Melchett in A Gentleman's War :The Middle-East Command (HoI3 TFH - UK AAR) by @Eurasia

Butler in A Royal Prerogative - A UK AAR by @Le Jones

Jump in Savages of Utah - A White Legs HOI4 Old World Blues Mod AAR by @RustyHunter

Viola in Born to Breed: House of the Prophets by @Peter Ebbesen

Emperor Karloman of the Franks and Romans in Song of the Karlings: Karloman's Legacy by @LPDK 356

Havel in Wings of Faith, Wings of Fury - A Slavic Pagan Revival AAR by @Superstorm

Mighty Cheesar in Imperial Cheese: The Improbably Incredible Rise of the Italian Empire by @TheButterflyComposer

Junkmaster Scrappy in Tales of a Junktown Trash Mob by @Staehr

Lyadov in Odin and Stalin's Secret Committee by @roverS3

The Bard in Road of Queens - CKII India AAR by @Eurasia

Mechthild and Bohodar in The Lions of Olomouc: a CKIII Ironman AAR (Duchy of Moravia, 867) by @Revan86

Alkaios in To The Strongest - A Hellenistic Resurgence AAR by @Eludio

Mario I Guerra, or, the Wanderer in Postcards From Eternity: a Megacampaign AAR by @Cycle

Walter Monckton in A Royal Prerogative - A UK AAR by @Le Jones

Maria Komnenos in The Crusader Queen- A Kingdom of Jerusalem AAR by @JSB217118

Admiral @diskoerekto in Avon Las Observes by @Midnite Duke

Lt.Gen E. Diskoerekto in Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 by @Bullfilter

Aphrodisia in To The Strongest - A Hellenistic Resurgence AAR by @Eludio

Salt Upon Wounds in Savages of Utah - A White Legs HOI4 Old World Blues Mod AAR by @RustyHunter

Darth Vidia in Stellaris Wars: A Nemesis Ironman Saga by @Arithmetician

Prime Minister of La Plata in Concussion and Confusion: The La Plata Story by @GangsterSynod

David Lloyd George in A Royal Prerogative - A UK AAR by @Le Jones

Princess Agnes of the Latin Empire in The Crusader Queen- A Kingdom of Jerusalem AAR by @JSB217118

Gleb Spravedlivyy in The Caliphate of al-Rus: A Kievan AAR by @Cora Giantkiller

Persepolis in Talking Turkey: Alternate History from 1936 by @Bullfilter

Phil in To The Strongest - A Hellenistic Resurgence AAR by @Eludio

Fern'uni in Superior Arguments: A Stellaris AAR by @eoncommander

Vilk Kald in Transcendental Spaces (fiction) by @JackGoose

Prime Minister Joseph Lyons in Tokyo, '45, An Australian AAR by @37th Armoured div

Swietopelk the third in Wings of Faith, Wings of Fury - A Slavic Pagan Revival AAR by @Superstorm

Odinatsat in Odin and Stalin's Secret Committee by @roverS3

Vitruvia Cita in Onward, Toward Perfection (Anthology of the Enclave of Eternity) WIP by @Quinzal

Lord Admiral Giovanni Battista Veneroso in Italian Ambitions: A Florence AAR by @JerseyGiants88

Queen Isabella in The Crusader Queen- A Kingdom of Jerusalem AAR by @JSB217118

Duchess Aelfrida of Northumbria in The Legacy of Uhtred (A Bamburgh AAR) by @Dunaden

Colonel Kaboom in Imperial Cheese: The Improbably Incredible Rise of the Italian Empire by @TheButterflyComposer

Duchess Jelena in Avon Las Observes by @Midnite Duke​

Phew!! Just building this post was exhausting! But in a very good way. Congratulations to all of the writAARs and their creations for being singled out here as it is surely an honor to have built such memorable and lasting characters. I also applaud the voters for being selective and listing their favorites! Well done all! Now the floor is open for your own thanks, congrats and discussions of the characters should you wish. Back later with our Newcomer awAARd.

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

That reminds me. I really need to finish the next chapter of Born to Breed. I got rather sidetracked by the Ukrainian war.

 

[Eurasia]

Congrats to all the characters! Wow..how did the Bard get in there?

 

[Macavity116]

Yeah! It's so great to see so many of my favorite writAAR's near the top of the list. Congratulations to @Peter Ebbesen, @TheButterflyComposer, and @JackGoose! And props to the many others listed here as well!

 

[jak7139]

Congratulations to all the nominees!

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

Good grief, Ged got second just by showing up! He's supposed to feel Existential dread, not some strange form of validation.

I actually voted for Viola, so am dgisuted her horse hung husband from Born to Breed won the toss over her in the end.

I'm delighted Imperial Cheese actually got two nominations, although must formally protest:

Mighty Cheesar

His Imperial Majesty, Augustus Cheeselini, 'the Mighty Cheesare', first of his name, Emperor of the New Roman Empire and All Her Principalities, would probably protest shortening his title down so much we lose an 'e'.

Thankfully, Colonel C/Kaboom gets around this issue by no one, including himself, knowing how to spell his name.

Many congratulations to everyone again.

 

[Bullfilter]

Congratulations to the winner and all nominees for this eclectic range of characters.

 

[coz1]

His Imperial Majesty, Augustus Cheeselini, 'the Mighty Cheesare', first of his name, Emperor of the New Roman Empire and All Her Principalities, would probably protest shortening his title down so much we lose an 'e'.

He may direct his angry missives, cards and letters to his voters as I merely copied and pasted what they suggested.

 

[DensleyBlair]

Many congratulations all round!

 

[Midnite Duke]

Congratulations to the winners, but I have to echo about the puppet (Sverker) being first while his master (Viola) was tenth.

 

[TheButterflyComposer]

He may direct his angry missives, cards and letters to his voters as I merely copied and pasted what they suggested.

How dare they not know how to spell a word I made up and don't spell consistently for jokes.

 

[Nikolai]

A big list of awesome characters!

 

[Superstorm]

Congrats to everyone! Such a list of diverse and interesting characters. And a personal thank you to those who nominated Havel!

 

[El Pip]

Congratulations to all the very worthy winners and the writers behind them. While I would, of course, have preferred a podium slot I must admit that 4th place is very much the most appropriate result for Lord Halifax - a modest achievement that no-one is quite sure how he managed to obtain.

 

[HistoryDude]

Congrats @Peter Ebbesen, @TheButterflyComposer, and @JackGoose!

 

[iain_a_wilson]

Congratulations to everyone on the list. Writing good characters and making them distinct and interesting is an extremely difficult art form!

 

[filcat]

***​

O, gas, melting point 54.36 K, boiling point 90.2 K, density 1.141 g/cm^3, standard atomic weight 16​

<The crowd is unmanageable by now, as no stadium nor any arena can take this number of people. A satellite captures the image of density; the sound of screams is deafening.
Enter the group. The cataclysmic explosion of screams is for the guitar, and the guitar only.>


When there's lightning, you know, it always brings me down
'Cause it's free and I see that it's me who's lost and never found
I cry out for magic - I feel it dancing in the light
It was cold - I lost my hold to the shadows of the night

No sign of the morning coming
You've been left on your own
Like a rainbow in the dark
A rainbow in the dark

Do your demons, do they ever let you go?
When you've tried, do they hide deep inside?
Is it someone that you know?
You're just a picture, you're an image caught in time
We're a lie, you and I, we're words without a rhyme

There's no sign of the morning coming
You've been left on your own
Like a rainbow in the dark
Just a rainbow in the dark
YEAH!

Spoiler: Congratulations to all creatAARs!

When there's lightning, you know, it always brings me down
'Cause it's free and I see that it's me who's lost and never found
Feel the magic, I feel it in the charactAARs
And they're wonderful and you'll hear it calling you to praise, look out

There's no sign of the morning coming
But there's the sight of the day praising
The characters are shining
Like a rainbow!

Like a rainbow in the dark!

Yea-yeah!

Like a rainbow in the dark
Just a rainbow in the dark
No sign of the morning
You're a rainbow in the dark [*]
​

[*] Appropriated from Rainbow in the Dark of the album Holy Diver by Dio (1983)
Edit: Correction on notation.