{"id":20181,"date":"2015-03-07T01:16:11","date_gmt":"2015-03-07T06:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=20181"},"modified":"2015-12-23T20:45:10","modified_gmt":"2015-12-24T01:45:10","slug":"canon-fodder-that-escalated-quickly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/?p=20181","title":{"rendered":"Canon Fodder – That Escalated Quickly"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is a reblog from Halo Waypoint:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

By GrimBrother One –

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ISSUE 14
\nWelcome back, fictionistas. While last week we took a closer look at the Second Story experience in Halo: Nightfall<\/a>, this week we get to hear some diverse perspectives on both writing and playing stories within Halo, as well as clear up a bit of colony confusion a couple of fans might have. Let’s get started!<\/h4>\n<\/section>\n

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COMIC RELIEF<\/strong><\/span>In case you haven\u2019t heard, Issue 15 of Halo: Escalation launched not long ago and continues the story that first began in Halo: Spartan Ops, as the crew of the UNSC Infinity<\/em> attempt to track down Jul \u2018Mdama<\/a>, Doctor Halsey, and the vital missing half of the Janus Key. It\u2019s definitely worth jumping into, as fans of both Halo: Spartan Ops as well as folks looking forward to the Halo 5: Guardians campaign should find plenty to pique their interests. With that in mind, I caught up with one of 343\u2019s wild wordsmiths, Brian Reed, whose tireless efforts are integral to the stories being told in each of the aforementioned tales. Let\u2019s see what he has to say about sewing stories into the fabric of Halo.<\/p>\n

GrimBrother One: What is personally your favorite corner of the Halo universe to work or play in? <\/strong>
\nBrian Reed:<\/strong> You\u2019ve asked which part of fun I enjoy the most. I have meetings where we argue about the speed of space ships or the familial relationships of people five hundred years in the future. Basically I get to play make believe all day with my friends and that\u2019s a job where it\u2019s hard to say \u201cwell, my *favorite* part is\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Grim: What can you say about the relationship of comics to games? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of getting the story across in each? <\/strong>
\nBrian Reed:<\/strong> We work to keep our universe coherent across all mediums, so the comics \u201ccount\u201d as much to Halo canon as a game (or a novel or live action series). The nice thing about comics is how fast you can put new story into the channel. Every 30 days we can give a new chunk of Halo Universe lore to the fans, and that\u2019s a speed that you just can\u2019t match with games where you\u2019re working for a upwards of a couple of years to ship a campaign story.<\/p>\n

Grim: Any particular episode of Halo: Spartan Ops you consider your favorite? <\/strong>
\nBrian Reed:<\/strong> The part of building Spartan Ops that I enjoyed most was the chance for the audience to learn more about Halsey<\/a>, and for all of us to meet Roland<\/a>. The start of episode 6 when Halsey lamented how she would never know everything is my favorite scene of the series. She\u2019s laying her soul bare for maybe the first time in her life and Palmer is feeling so betrayed that she doesn\u2019t get it. Palmer just sees a woman who has been knowingly committing an act of treason. I also love the start of episode 7 where Roland is honestly trying to understand who Halsey is and why she does the things she does. He\u2019s wonderful fun to write and to spend time with.<\/p>\n

Grim: What issue of Halo: Escalation did you enjoy working on the most? <\/strong>
\nBrian Reed:<\/strong> My favorite was issue 7, where Thorne goes home to New Phoenix. We\u2019d just done six issues of planet hopping while space ships blow up. There was betrayal and infidelity and lies and just huge crazy events, and we knew the next arc was going to essentially be Chief vs Didact: Round 2, so there was the desire to do something much smaller. What came about was this quiet story about a man dealing with the loss of a loved one. In Halo stories we talk so much about ships or colonies or whole worlds being destroyed, but we very rarely get the chance to stop and talk about what that means, and how it affects people on a very personal level. It was really nice to be able to do something so tonally different, yet still so obviously Halo.<\/p>\n

Grim: What can fans expect from Halo: Escalation in regards to how it ties in with Halo 5: Guardians? Any cool teases lore-lovers might get excited about? <\/strong>
\nBrian Reed:<\/strong> Duffy Boudreau is handling the writing duties on the comic now, and is doing an amazing job with the continuation of the Spartan Ops saga. Between now and Halo 5 hitting the shelves, Duffy is doing some amazing things. Things that will result in ONI agents being dispatched to my office if I say too much.<\/p>\n

But listen, if you\u2019re not already reading, you should know Duffy has already introduced plot threads that come up in Halo 5. In the months ahead, Duffy helps us introduce some new and very important characters. He wraps up the Janus Key plot from Spartan Ops, and in doing so actually shifts the galactic balance of power in a very key way for the story we\u2019re about to tell in the game.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Hmm, very interesting… So who will get the full key then? Man, if it’s Jul, then a whole new and potentially bigger, more devastating war will be at hand. If it’s Halsey, who knows what she’ll do with the key. And if it’s the UNSC, well, lets just hope it falls into the right hands at the UNSC. Cause…we know if it’s ONI that has the key, everyone is doomed!<\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, a nice lady from ONI just walked up to my desk and informed me I have said enough, so I will stop talking about upcoming plots now.<\/p>\n

Oh, she says I\u2019m done saying much of anything to anyone for today and I should go with her now. She\u2019s resting her hand on a holstered pistol and telling me to stop typing. So, um\u2026 bye for now(?).<\/p>\n

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PRO BRO KNOW<\/span><\/h2>\n

While our cozy little content corner certainly continues to center around the narrative and story-based aspects of the Halo experience, we\u2019re not immune from the excitement surrounding the Season 1 Finals of the Halo Championship Series taking place this weekend at PAX East. With that in mind, I thought it would be cool to hit up 343 Industries\u2019 resident Pro Team for a quick little Q&A. For those of you who might think four-shots are something you\u2019d order at a bar however, have no fear. We\u2019re not talking BR-spread or KDA. In fact, I thought it would be cool to ask the Pro Team what they thought about more story-centric experiences, and show off the fact that just because these lords of Lockout are wizards in the War Games doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t love heeding the campaign call. So let\u2019s hear what GH057ayame, Neighbor, Dersky, and Strongside have to say about some of their favorite parts of the Halo universe.<\/p>\n

GrimBrother One: What is your favorite character in the Halo universe?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GH057ayame<\/strong>: My favorite character has to be Master Chief. I\u2019ve spent so much time living out his journey time and time again that it just feels like I\u2019ve had a profound impact on his story as well. Whether it be destroying the original Halo ring or engaging some Final Bosses, I\u2019ve always felt that I\u2019ve ensured that Master Chief lived up to his name.<\/p>\n

Neighbor<\/strong>: The Flood<\/a> as a whole.<\/p>\n

Dersky<\/strong>: Master Chief<\/a>, he destroys absolutely everything the Covenant throws at him, and saves the entire galaxy!<\/p>\n

Strongside<\/strong>: The Arbiter<\/a><\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Okay, I have to chime in with my answers too, even though not specifically asked… Chief, then Cortana. Cause really, who wouldn’t want to be Master Chief?<\/span><\/p>\n

Grim: What is your favorite campaign moment from any Halo game?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GH057ayame<\/strong>: My favorite campaign moment has to be when Master Chief and his marines enter \u201cinto the belly of the beast\u201d when floating up into the Truth and Reconciliation<\/em> on the 3rd level of Halo: Combat Evolved. Playing through this moment with my twin brother Brent gave us endless memories \u2013 specifically some of the toughest encounters that I\u2019ve ever had in a Halo campaign. And who can forget\u2026 the INVISIBLE SWORD GUYZ. So many heroic moments were stopped abruptly by those jerks! Between that, and launching ourselves 1,000 feet up in a Warthog on Silent Cartographer, it\u2019s a hard decision, but I\u2019ll side with the sword-wielding Elites.<\/p>\n

Neighbor<\/strong>: Master Chief and Thel \u2018Vadam racing to escape the replacement Halo\u2019s blast in Halo 3<\/p>\n

Dersky<\/strong>: Mission 2 \u2013 \u201cHalo\u201d \u2013 from Halo: CE. I loved this moment so much because it was my first time ever interacting with a Warthog and I thought it was so badass at the time.<\/p>\n

Strongside<\/strong>: At the ending of Halo: Combat Evolved, driving the Warthog through all the explosions on the Pillar of Autumn<\/em><\/a> was unforgettable.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Favorite moment? Gawd, impossible for me to have just one! Hmm, let’s see. End of CE completing the game. That Warthog drive was a challenge for me the first time. Halo 3’s ending was pretty epic. Beating Reach on Legendary solo, only to go on to the mission where you die no matter what.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grim: What is the saddest moment in any Halo story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GH057ayame<\/strong>: The saddest moment to me has to be when you see Captain Keyes<\/a> assimilated by the Proto-Gravemind on the level Keyes in the Halo: Combat Evolved campaign. I mean\u2026 Captain Keyes gave me my first Pistol, so I\u2019m forever in his debt.<\/p>\n

Neighbor<\/strong>: Overall as a game, definitely Halo: Reach. So many tough losses in that campaign.<\/p>\n

Strongside<\/strong>: Sgt. Johnson\u2019s death in Halo 3.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Okay, this one is EASY. Cortana’s death. No way no how did I want her to ‘die’. I still think there’s a way to bring her back and it be HER, not a clone of her. She just can’t stay dead. She’s as much a part of Halo as Chief is!<\/span><\/p>\n

Grim: Which character in Halo would be the most fun to hang out with?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GH057ayame<\/strong>: I think I\u2019d love hanging out with Sgt. Johnson the most. I\u2019ve always wanted to kick back, grab some beers, and listen to his war stories.<\/p>\n

Neighbor<\/strong>: Cortana<\/a>, because reasons. [I won\u2019t break the news to him if you guys don\u2019t \u2013 Grim<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Dersky<\/strong>: Sergeant Johnson. I picture our day would consist of smoking cigars and blowing [REDACTED] up!<\/p>\n

Strongside<\/strong>: Hands down the Master Chief.<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Um, Cortana after she became ‘real’ so long as she stayed alive. Why? Um, better left unsaid…LOL<\/span><\/p>\n

Grim: Which Halo vehicle do you wish you owned in real life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GH057ayame<\/strong>: I wish I could own the original Warthog from Halo:CE. That thing was so damn fun to drive around Alpha Halo, whipping turns and sliding into trenches. I can\u2019t even begin to imagine how much fun that would be to do in real life \u2013 the handling was just pure bliss.<\/p>\n

Neighbor<\/strong>: UNSC Elephant<\/p>\n

Dersky<\/strong>: The Banshee. It would be my “private jet” to get me to any destination. In addition, all I can think about is how fun a backflip would be to perform in real life. [Man after my own heart, right there. \u2013 Grim<\/em>]<\/p>\n

Strongside<\/strong>: The AV-14 Hornet<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> This is pretty easy for me. The Pelican. It’s just big enough to be a home if needed, while also being able to fly wherever I want, including space. If I can go big…well, the Infinity of course!<\/span><\/p>\n

Grim: What do you find most interesting about the Halo story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

GH057ayame<\/strong>: To me, the most interesting thing about the Halo story is its overall mysteriousness. It\u2019s a vast universe that\u2019s yet to be completely explored \u2013 a feat that seems near impossible to be accomplished. But at the same time, it\u2019s what keeps me going. I\u2019m always yearning for the next story of the saga!<\/p>\n

Neighbor<\/strong>: I find it interesting that the hero of humanity can love an A.I.<\/p>\n

Dersky<\/strong>: It’s truly amazing how the Master Chief never stops coming back to fight. He is clearly outnumbered in almost every scenario and still manages to come out on top.
\nStrongside: The mystery behind the Master Chief, and who he is as a person.<\/p>\n

Thanks so much to the Pro Team for joining us! Something tells me it could be fun to have them involved again sometime. And may ONI help you if you ever come across them in the War Games\u2026 (shudder)<\/p>\n

HFFL:<\/strong> Most interesting? Again, another one that would take a long time to really pin down exactly. I think at least in part that it’s because this COULD be a possible reality for humanity 500 years from now. We already have today the beginning of many of the technologies in Halo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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COLONY CLEAR-UP<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"havenarcologybombingcf80-9705d1ba87ed4b99a7bc8b31b60fec2c\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A couple of our fervent fiction fans asked about a few specific details regarding the colonies in the Cygnus system that we thought would be helpful to make a bit more clear for everyone.<\/p>\n

The Cygnus system contains two habitable worlds. Cygnus II (birthplace of Chyler Silva<\/a>) and Cygnus III, which fans know as New Jerusalem. New Jerusalem\u2019s capital city is also known as New Jerusalem, as is the case with several other human colonies since their first solitary population hub was synonymous with the planetary colony itself.<\/p>\n

In Halo: Contact Harvest (pg.61), we see that as of 2524 CE \u201c\u2026Avery [Johnson] didn\u2019t understand why the Insurrection hadn\u2019t flared in outer systems such as Cygnus\u2026\u201d This is a bit confusing when comparing it to the Halo 4:Forward Unto Dawn \u201cSquad\u201d promotional piece, it states that Silva “\u2026grew up around a lot of insurrectionist violence, and to me it seemed quite normal. It wasn’t really until being here that I realize how much violence I saw.” It\u2019s important to note that while Silva was born on Cygnus II, as a proverbial military brat (with both parents in the UNSC), she moved at a rather young age and spent a good portion of her youth on Mamore, a human colony that saw nigh perpetual unrest between the UEG\/UNSC and various rebel factions. Fans may recognize Mamore from the contents of Halsey\u2019s Journal, specifically within a news clipping from Intersystem News, which details the tragic terrorist bombing within the Haven arcology on Mamore in 2511, prompting a further-bolstered presence on the colony shortly thereafter \u2013 which Chyler\u2019s parents were part of.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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Well, that\u2019s it for this edition! Don\u2019t forget to go and grab Halo: New Blood, and check out the HCS Season 1 Finals this weekend! Also be sure to check out the new Universe entries out this week, where we\u2019ve got a smattering of goodies that you might find worth your ocular investment.Until next week\u2026 Live well, play Halo, and don\u2019t try to come between brothers. Specifically if they\u2019re Mgalekgolo.<\/p>\n

– Grim<\/h4>\n

Source Link<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a reblog from Halo Waypoint:\u00a0 By GrimBrother One – 1 hour ago ISSUE 14 Welcome back, fictionistas. While last week we took a closer look at the Second Story experience in Halo: Nightfall, this week we get to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-halo-waypoint"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20181"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25167,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20181\/revisions\/25167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/halofanforlife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}