#halo rant

[mephyyy]

The other day I saw a post about how it's odd that the arbiter (thel) would listen to the gravemind, when it's (in a very Christian sense) the devil, from the Bible. And if it was Christianity he would be considered a bad Christian for believing the gravemind.

I think the problem with this line of thinking is relating the religion that the covenant practices to Christianity, is very flawed. The gravemind isn't basically the devil, from the Bible, because the gravemind isn't just one thing. You can have multiple graveminds, as seen in halo 3, and the flood can exist without one.

And while I'm not very deep into the books (I'm just starting ghost of onix after a few months since I finished the flood) I am pretty sure that the covenant doesn't say that the flood is the end all and be all of evil. I mean they call all Spartans demons, but they don't refer to the flood or gravemind as demons as well.

Moving on from the flood itself, thel literally just got betrayed and thrown into a pit to die. Like Tartarus literally told him that the prophets told him to kill thel. The next we play as thel the covenant is already trying to kill all the sangheili. While, yes, getting told that halo is a weapon by both the demon that made thel, the arbiter and "the devil from the Bible" would probably not shake someone's conviction if they were so dead set on it. (Just look at Tartarus) But like come on PLEASE. The message is to not just believe things blindly. Thel is smart, and has already been betrayed by his beliefs and the prophets that have led him astray.

It's mostly a Christian belief that you should never question the religion or the church. And while I do think that the covenant acts much the same as the church, the sangheili aren't stupid. They are very respectable in battle and as tactions. You are telling me, that after being betrayed, and thrown down a pit, to talk with demons and walk out of there alive to find that the people you trusted are now killing your men, you would still side with them?

Not to mention thel's whole fight with the rebel leader. He has been confronted with that the covenant are lying to all of them, and he still follows his mission to kill the rebel leader.

This whole rant has been mostly wishy washy, but listen to me. The point of halo 2 is to think critically about things. A lot of the books follow the same line of thought. You have to think critically about what missions you are ordered for, or the religion you believe in. Just blindly following orders is bad. The point of the game is to make you think critically and how much it takes for you to get to that point. It wasn't like thel had one conversation with the gravemind and went "hmmm, I think it has a point" NO! THERE WAS SO MANY THINGS THAT BUILT UP TO HIM DEFECTING!

That is to say, we should think critically about things now too. Don't always believe what you hear unless you can prove it. You have to think for yourself. Make sure you understand the choices your making, or how blindly following others too. That is still a choice

[thenetherxd]

Okay guys I NEED to know. Which drink goes best with Halo game sessions. I have all and I am indecisive.

please

Mountain Dew

Redbull Peach (the old one.)

Redbull Red

Redbull Classic

Green Tea

Earl Grey Tea

Coffee

Voting ended onMar 17

[amayavittori]

Mark me horny (said the asexual) but I’m listening to Master Chief’s dialogues from like ALL the games (it’s a 19 minute video) and I’m doing this for therapeutical reasons but like... John’s just got a real nice voice.

For very personal reasons, I’m also imagining John telling a very oxygen-deprived Chief Mukai to “Breathe Stella” and “You can call me anything you want” and it is ruining me

[i-am-not-leaving-you-here]

Halo News Lacking?

Hello Spartan's I’m sure we all noticed it by now. Big Halo news haven't really happened this year. I know some of you will say “Halo Wars 2″. To that I say Great game and even better Soundtrack, But Unfortinitlly Halo Wars isn't for all the Halo fans. So its put 343 in this awkward spot of We have Halo News, But its really only for those who like Halo Wars. Most of us were hoping for E3 2017 to be the place where Xbox would just knock us out with “Crazy” Halo News. Due to there lack of First Party titles to drive the Xbox One’s sales. But Xbox made a big call to not just put up a Halo trailer since they knew we’d go mad and want more but the game wasn't going to be out for a while. I can agree with them on some fronts but my god did I want my Halo news. As for Gamescon 2017 (its still underway at the time of writing) I have a feeling that 343 will also stay silent during this event (I REALLY HOPE IN WRONG). For me this mean less Halo content to post and/or even report on. It’s just kind of got me thinking. When do you think 343I should drop some Halo news? Should they just cone out a week before Xbox One X release and go “By the Way, Halo 6 will be on Xbox One X on release” and just drop the Mic. Its unlikely but it be pretty crazy. Hopefully I’ve been able to help ease the blow of less Halo news by giving you the Halo fix you need. But if you need more check out the Other post I made talking about the people that have been helping me with my Halo Fix.

Halo blogs that help me 

PS: @halowaypoint I want your option on this. Do you agree with what I’m trying to say here? 

[noisycartographer]

Lore Rant (?)

I feel like the Halo fanbase has remained somewhat divided since the Forerunner retcon and the releases following that change. I mean it's not like this is a NEW development, but this is my point.

I'm usually something of shill for IPs that I LOVE (like Star Wars) and I'm all for creative freedom, but the Forerunner novels and every game released after Reach just breaks so much of the established lore for me.

Bungie's vision of a cyclical story (and matching imagery - i.e. Halo/Rings) with dramatic irony and allusion was poetic. Things made sense! I mean, you can mangle things together and suspend disbelief enough to make the retcon fit, but it's not as tasty.

I've played the new stuff off and on, and it's not for me. I'm happy to leave it at that for myself and my own preference, but the whole thing feels like a shame. There was more potential with Bungie's established lore and the retcon feels completely unnecessary.

Like I said, none of this is news. I've been watching it all unfold and hoping that maybe things would get a reset of some kind and the GOOD lore would be put back into play.

Just ranting a bit. I know I'm not alone. For me, the play-worthy games stop after Reach and the timeline stops after Halo 3.

Since we're twisting things and making it up as we go, my own version is that everything after 3 is Chief dreaming while in cryo.

We finished the fight.

[mrs-chief]

Here’s the thing about Halo 5

I know my opinion doesn’t really matter and honestly, I don’t know enough lore (especially the comic stuff) to really talk about it, but as someone passionate about the Halo franchise itself, I feel like I should at least say something amidst all this drama with Reed.

I started playing Halo the day Halo: CE for PC came out. I have an older brother so, naturally, he got all the newest shooter games while I still had Barbie Horse Racing Adventures (great game though, tbqh), but he always let me play his games. I was either 5 or 6 at the time, I can’t be bothered to do the math. 

After I played CE, I kind of drifted into different things. I played more PS2 than Xbox or PC, and if I was on the PC, I was either playing the Sims 2 or some other game. My brother kept up with Halo casually and mostly just to play multiplayer. In fact, he told me Reach is a good game despite the fact that he never played the campaign. (I screamed and nearly punched him)

Last year, I went through some traumatic stuff. I turned inwardly and surrounded myself with things that made me happy, like Star Trek; TOS, the Sims 2, and GTA: Vice City. Then I remembered that low-poly shooter I used to play on my old Compaq.

So within the last year or so, I’ve been diving back into Halo; falling in love again with one of two video game characters I’ve always had a crush on (John and Tommy Vercetti from GTA:VC [don’t even talk to me I know I was a weird fucking kid]) and the world surrounding him. I started reading the books and playing through all of the games and just fell head-over-heels for the wonderful, rich, and poignant Halo universe. I found comfort in the stalwart protagonist, humor in Johnson and Sparky, and kinship with countless other characters. In short, Halo basically went from a coping device (channeling my anger towards what happened into virtual anger) to my favorite story of resilience, strength, and friendship. 

I felt like I came back into it at the right time with Halo 5′s release only months away. I was swept away by all of the marketing for H5; Hunt the Truth, the Locke/John rivalry, Blue Team, the aftermath of Cortana’s death, etc. I was so ready for another beautiful game that took the characters I love (especially John) and showed the chinks in their armor that showed me that even the best are not immune to pain or sorrow. Kind of important IMO to a survivor. 

I don’t have an Xbox One, but I was so anxious to play it and so excited when I could get my hands on one. But then the news and analyses and reviews were coming in from my friends, the Halo community on Tumblr, and etc and I felt just....overwhelming disappointment. So, I’ve never even played Halo 5. You may now all stop reading this if you want, but I still think my opinion is valuable based on how dearly I’ve loved the franchise as a whole from day one.

We weren’t given the story we were told we would. We weren’t given character development. We were sold lies and stories that never even happened. We were given cheap twists and unnecessary “shocks” that did nothing but make people angry.

It just...it honestly makes me want to cry when I think about it. There is such a rich universe with the potential to tell a real story and this is what we got? A community almost 20 years old has been reduced to this? It breaks my heart. 

I can’t say much in particular about the problems with the game. But all I can say is that that spark, that excitement I had is gone. That comfort I used to find in such a flawed but perfect character is gone. My ability to lose myself in Halo and find joy is gone. I’m just profoundly sad about it anymore. 

I guess that’s why these things with Reed or any dev talking shit or lying hurts me so much. To see something I love so much get turned into everything we never wanted it painful. To see Cortana bastardized and ruined as a character hurts. I can’t even go back to old games and media and love her like I used to. And the devs don’t really seem to care. They seem to think that because they made it, they are the ultimate authority, and that fans with such unyielding passion for it have no say. 

I’ve been there since day one for Halo. Maybe not as in-depth as I am currently, but I’ve been there. And this is not the story I wanted. Halo became a shell of itself with H5′s release.

As a creator myself, I wouldn’t shy from criticism nor dismiss my fans who are willing to open a dialogue about what they liked and disliked. That’s the only way to create, but it seems like some people are forgetting that sentiment because of...wounded pride? Arrogance? 

Whatever it may be, I still love Halo. And I still have hope for the future. 343i just might have to work a little harder to win my heart over again this time. 

[mrs-chief]

Serious time:

I think my biggest problem with people shipping John and Kelly isn’t that he is literally the love of my life. I’m not that much of an asshole.

My biggest issue is that it seems that there’s no possibility of having a strong, supportive, vital female character without a romantic relationship. In addition, it’s like...we can’t handle the idea of a hyper-masculine character (on the surface) showing effeminate, motherly tendencies without having some sort of ulterior motive other than he’s just a good guy. We have to make it that he cares for each member of his team, including Kelly, with unyielding compassion because of some romantic or sexual interest.

I’m just so done with it. You all can make your arguments that they truly have a bond special even beyond that of Blue Team but I refuse to believe you. John is a character of polite admiration and respect. Kelly is the same. Both love each other in the way that a guardian (i.e. mother, father, etc.) would love their child. Both feel that the other’s safety, and the team’s safety as a whole, is their job to ensure. 

The fact that I can’t google Kelly without this ship coming up is almost insulting to her as a character.

I mean, by all means, draw and write and think what you want. I’m not saying stop doing it. Do what you want. I mean, I wanted to draw John as a stripper, so I did it. Do I agree it’s something he’d do? No. But like, freedom of thought, speech, and expression.

this is just my opinion and hopefully explains why sometimes I say I hate Kelly with a burning passion. It’s not so much her character, it’s just the treatment of her character and John’s by some people. I love all of y’all, I promise. You wanna ship them? That’s fine. I’m just not exactly buying a ticket for that cruise. I still love you just the same though!  Hugs and plasma cannons,  Mrs. Chief

[masterchiefqueefs]

Also 343 can you PLEASE FIX THE SPAWNING ON THE RIG. I can’t express the amount of times ive been trapped on that God forsaken map.