I know personally that RvB does not align with most of Halo canon, but Cortana does the same for John. In the games it’s always just those two, and if they’re separated, they become intent on finding/saving each other (even though Cortana can’t exactly do that on her own since she, well, was restricted to a chip for the longest time). Sure, a lot of that is for story purposes since John was portrayed as the last living Spartan-II for most of the campaigns, but it simply became a part of how he was even after the story and Spartan history was developed more. He always cared about his teammates, but his main focus was on Cortana.
Hell, in Halo 3, finding and rescuing Cortana was the endgame goal for John, and damn near all the Blue Team side of the Halo 5 campaign was about John obsessing over finding his lost A.I. After Cortana sacrificed herself in Halo 4, John then became more apt to work and stick with other people without Cortana there to distract him, and he even found his teammates (practically brother and sisters) and stuck with them like the old days before Cortana was ever even a thing. However, once Cortana started intruding on his thoughts, his focus diverted away from his closest friends and back toward whatever he could find of Cortana. The thought of getting to her even disrupted his logic while on Genesis. He was still very bonded with his team, but it seemed like Fred, Kelly, and Linda were the ones fighting to keep that connection while John slipped farther away the closer they were baited to Cortana.
Also, if I remember correctly from Fall of Reach, once Cortana was introduced to him, John started to become more and more isolated from the Spartans he was trained with; in other words, the people he grew up with and knew better than anyone. Part of that was because he was the best in his class and the UNSC wanted to utilize that, but even when he was with his team he still seemed more isolated and focused on Cortana. John was also more willing to go on missions on his own or with just one or two other Spartans (my mind immediately goes to the battle in the space station over Reach where only Linda and one other Spartan went with; which was, again if I remember correctly, his own suggestion). He was less likely to go on missions with the other members of Blue Team.
Then came Halo 1 through 4, where John became so dependent on his A.I. that, like I said earlier, being separated from her made him become focused on joining up with her again.
I’m positive that this somewhat unhealthy relationship between A.I. and soldier (not gonna say Spartan because there is no possible way any character in RvB could be a Spartan in Halo canon) is caused because the A.I. technically become another half to the person’s mind. In the books, the feeling John had when Cortana entered his mind was that of a cold liquid enveloping his brain and spinal cord, or something to that effect. Essentially, he could actually physically feel Cortana in his mind, and he could also feel when she left. They could sense each other’s emotions and thoughts since they shared the same space.
Living with that for long enough could easily change how a person views life without their A.I., to were that is pretty much all the person can internally focus on. They have little need for other stable human relations since they already have another person with them at all times. As long as that one “person” thinks they’re okay, the person is golden. The person will also probably act differently since the personality of their A.I. will seep into their own.
What I basically just realized is that A.I. to a soldier can become like a drug if they have the A.I. in their mind long enough, especially if they’re not that mentally stable (tbh, no Spartan or Freelancer is; they’re all at least somewhat fucked in the head). They feel better and stronger with it (which can, well, make em act like more of an arrogant ass) and more weak and lacking without it. It may help, but they’re affected for good once they’re hooked, and their mind will probably take a long af time to work like it did before the A.I.
I think A.I. and Spartans are fascinating, including their relationship, and I love reading and writing about it. It’s just to interesting to think about all the potential for story there. However, A.I. really aren’t meant to be mixed up with human brains, since one is living and the other technically is not. Long term exposure could lead to bad behaviours and addictions like those seen in RvB and Halo, where the person can no longer seem to function without their little tech friend. Their relations with other people would also erode, probably due to the changes in the brain. It’s super sad to realize and think about, but I can’t help but find it interesting nonetheless.
turnnoffyourmind
titsay
dailybridgerton
stormborns
theartofmadeline
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