Halo's not doing too hot, as anyone can see. 343 has frankly failed to tell the story they wanted to tell, despite any well-written exceptions.
Even though I consider Halo to be the most interesting sci-fi universe out there, large parts of it that could not only make for great stories but are really important to tell, have hardly ever been touched.
As much as we can harp on 343 as fan fiction, on-the-ground fanfiction writers cannot be trusted any more than they can to do well, and that's a fact. Few exceptions exist.
I believe 343 had their heart in a decent place, they made alot of the right choices, and I think any fanfic writer trying to redo the sequels to Halo 3 ought to look at their fellow million-dollar fanfic-ers. It's not clear how much, but alot of what they wrote into the story was certainly the execution of the instructions given them by Bungie in the Halo Bible.
In some ways I'm glad Infinite failed because I had my heart set on an ending for Halo 6 and 7 before Infinite was announced, let alone came out. But I was young. It was rough, of course. In reality, it's a shame Halo is what it is now. It's dead in the water, right? It's best hope is select fans now, still inspired by what was (and I believe this) high art in the Bungie era atleast. But now there is no culture around Halo to crowd around the fan as they write. You write in relative silence in the year 2024, 12 years past the series' golden age.
I know it happens to everything, and I know it happens to almost everybody, but it's still unpleasant to see what happened to Halo. There's a coldness to feel from something you loved that has inspired countless video essayists trying to figure out forensically why they feel the way they do. Not to be melodramatic, but it seems to mirror a traumatic experience where you repeatedly think through what you should've done to avoid it, and revel in whatever causality you can find. Should've, would've, could've.
I started the Halo novel I'm committed to finishing, "The Coming Fire" in 2019, thinking optimistically it'd be done in a year, and pessimistically 2021 or even early 2022. If you knew me you wouldn't be surprised to hear it's not halfway finished 5 years later. I wish I had 100 hours in a day, I wish I had anything like discipline back then, I wish Halo was still alive to accompany my writing for it. And I wish I was still a 16 year old "prodigy" with the time to write every exciting idea in my head now and then, rather than a young man who still has ideas and still has inspiration, but more and moreso has to be a serious adult with a sweat and tears job and all the stresses and requirements that dissuade you from putting hard work into writing, and who is increasingly "weird" for still writing his "Halo story."
It is what it is. The strange 20 year old will make a better product than the 16 year old with loosed reigns. I will finish The Coming Fire if it takes me another 30 years and scope creep makes it the new Wheel of Time (unless a significant event happens which would actually change this)
But whining about realism aside, let's step into wonderland. I said I still get ideas, new ones all the time. The Coming Fire was supposed to be an easy score, I've got some real Epics planned. Many are for Halo, some are original. Let's see what's on the theoretical to-do list
Semi-Anthology about the rise of the Insurrection - "How Shall We Then Live?"
I thought of something akin to the novel World War Z, which is made up of many short stories about the same events to get a grander scope. How Shall We Then Live would be a compilation of all different forms of diegetic storytelling, be it memoirs of UEG leaders, leaked transcripts of ONI conversations and recordings of phone calls, documentaries and stageplays about the life of an Insurrection forefather, political statements, philosophical writings, conspiracy theories, or non-diegetic narration at parts. If I was so inclined it would be perfect material to uncover in an ARG a la Ilovebees.
It would show the early ideological seeds of the Insurrection, even confined to the Sol system before slipspace travel was invented, as well as the UEG's opposition to it, and ONI's deeper reasons as well, something sorely lacking in nearly all canon Insurrection-related stories. It would start from the perspective of a young man trying to make change and pioneer a place beyond UEG control, ignorant to the Interplanetary War history that informed so much UEG authoritarianism and paranoia. Key moments of his life are recorded like everything that happens on Earth is, captured from the AI that stored it and used by the people of his future Colony for a biography. With slipspace, he would end up going very far out with supplies for self-sufficience and found the planet Libertas, which would be the main location of the story as it incites and supports from a distance the Insurrectionist revolutions on several Colony worlds which are much more significant than itself, before the UNSC comes to it in the name of diplomacy only to then attack their own ships with false flags, justifying an invasion. This event is referenced in The Coming Fire.
It would show many places and perspectives, tying into the overarching story of the UEG's struggle for power as Humanity expands uncontrollably into the galaxy, and slowly devolving into all-out war.
Early on, you'd see the Commander in Chief of ONI growing old, satisfied with ensuring safety against interplanetary threats. He decides to push for the release of wartime powers in all areas of government he's capable of, leading to subterfuge and division within ONI between those who want to release powers and those who don't.
Then, you'd see the launch of Colony ships from Europa to Reach (ex-Koslo/Friedans among them), with many colonists opting to leave their settlements immediately and independently explore. And on Reach, an arms race begins between one Communications organization and UEG investigations and laws, trying to create untraceable communication.
The rise of piracy in the Epsilon Eridani system and the UNSC's attempts to combat it, as well as militia campaigns against it.
The founding of the Colonial Military Authority being leveraged from the beginning by Insurrectionists as a controlled opposition force, after it was conceded by the UEG.
The escalation of militaries, becoming more tenacious, employing more intense methods as it goes on. Hatred for entire peoples start to build, with many later-generation Colonists denouncing Earth entirely. This mirrors what happened in the Interplanetary Wars, and the parallels with that war start to become salient, proving the UEG's fears right, as Earth was nearly wiped out then.
The revolution on Far Isle being responded to by NOVA bombing the planet, causing an Insurrectionist to smuggle a nuke into the Haven Arcology and killing millions. This convinces tens of millions of youths to join the UNSC and fight Insurrection, and we'd follow one of them as he goes from a Private to an ODST infiltrating none other than Libertas to extract its President.
The story would be told unflatteringly oftentimes, events occurring with details that don't really suit any narrative, for the sake of realism.
The Day of Return
OK I promise this will be a short story. The Yon-Het are chilling on their planet in a single city because they're too scared to travel out except for a few outcasts who destroyed their fear receptors by overdosing on their fear-abating drug, but they usually die quickly. It was generations ago that the Covenant arrived, changing their world view and giving them powerful technology, but they left before their elliptical orbit took them close to their radiative star, an event which regularly kills any Yon-Het over a certain age.
Now the Covenant return in much greater numbers, studying them, telling them their own ancient histories, preaching the Great Journey, all protected from radiation by shielding. They build bridges to other outposts beyond the city, and give them the courage to expand.
The main Yon-Het volunteers to go to High Charity among others to represent his people, however the travel into space and slipspace is so terrifying it causes him to abuse his drug, killing his fear receptors. When he arrives he pledges his people to the Covenant.
Like The Coming Fire, this story's file was deleted, but unlike The Coming Fire there was no backup of it.
Halo 2 Novelization - "The Great Journey"
You can see I already wrote a couple early scenes on this site. This is an oft-attempted fic to write, because an official novel for CE exists, but it was poorly received (which I don't agree with) and never got a sequel. But as far as I know, no worthy sequel to The Flood, and novelization of Halo 2 exists. I mean really fleshing out the world and conflict in all the ways the game could never have time for. Scope creep is a dangerous enemy in something that already hopes to be huge in scope. But I would not in any timeline try doing this myself. I would bring together those who attempted to write such a novelization themselves in the past, writers of the best ones, who have the best ideas, and try to come together, checking each other's weak spots, and maintaining lore consistency, even rectifying existing contradictions if the chance arises. Some elements I'd really want to focus on are:
The politics and culture of the Covenant, especially on High Charity, and after the major blow dealt by Halo's destruction. Discontent which had been festering for a long time, decreasing trust in religious authorities, the conflict between Elites and San 'Shyuum, the San 'Shyuum integration of Brutes into High Charity who create tensions with the Elites they plan to kill, as the Elites try to stop them from gaining the power they are steadily being maneuvered to take. Truth's secret brute army being trained by the Prelates on Janjur Qom (or wherever) and being stunted by the loss of the Unyielding Hierophant. Elite skepticism at the origin of Brute technology, being adapted from human tech which is forbidden, but admittedly has its uses. Increased religious paranoia causing an extremely low bar for heresy, and countless deaths, imprisonments and tortures.
Regret becoming a problem for Truth by reporting his fleet's lack of faith in him after repeated failures and contradictions with the other High Prophets, being convinced to capture a Human to activate stubborn Forerunner technology, despite the problems it raises with the faith. Regret finding the location of the Ark Portal, Truth allowing him to go to Earth and be killed off.
Sesa Refumee being deployed on Threshold, learning the truth, and convincing the entire fleet before broadcasting the truth about Halo (or after?) Becoming unhinged and rethinking the Universe.
Covenant study of captured human computers, the few that were missed by the Cole Protocol, and advancing their knowledge of computers to try and unlock them. One San 'Shyuum forsaking her honor to recreate human computing beyond what was forbidden, and going insane, in hopes of ending the war. This is sanctioned by Truth in spite of condemnations.
Earth is past any illusions of winning, putting off or hiding from the war. They know they're next, and reach acceptance for it. There is an air of preparedness for their fate, and increased joviality. The Infinity is constructed in order to carry Humanity away from the Sol System after it's attacked.
Cortana tries to help Chief remember his past, which he rejects because it makes him too vulnerable to operate at any moment.
Miranda is promoted to ship captain despite being underqualified, and struggles to make the right choices as criticized by Cortana. She also acknowledges Chief and Cortana as her mother's favored creations, for good reason.
How the Flood breached containment on Delta Halo, and some of how the Gravemind reasoned and planned to use Chief and Arbiter.
Arbiter witnessing the Elite Councilors getting killed as was intended.
Mendicant Bias watching Chief on the Dreadnought, and using his power to protect Chief from the Brutes. The Dreadnought going to Janjur Qom to rally a makeshift invasion fleet, and Chief's failed assassination attempt on Truth before jumping out above Earth.
And more...
Halo 3 Novelization - "The Ark" or "Finish The Fight"
I really don't have many ideas for Halo 3 novelization, if I did they were thought of a while ago and forgotten, with the exception of a POV following one Elite part of the High Prophets' personal black ops unit Silent Shadow, who is not replaced by Brutes, and reluctantly goes along with Truth's orders.
I would change things somewhat so that Cortana after being rescued never returns to her snarky self but shows some signs of her breakdown in Halo 4. The Gravemind absolutely allows Chief to get away with her, plunging far into its flesh was a suicide mission in the first place. But it will also emphasize Arbiter's loyalty and respect for Chief, as well as his willingness to make his sins right, that he follows Chief into the suicide mission as well.
Then Truth will have to be made sense of, why he seems to believe in the Great Journey wholeheartedly. What does he believe or not? It's hard to say. Years ago I headcanonned when Truth stopped at Janjur Qom he found a devoted impersonator, but that does make his death alot less impactful. Truth would still be out there. I'm not so sure. I also don't like Point of Light's explanation that he was hiding San 'Shyuum in a Shield World to repopulate the galaxy with their dna. If that was the case, and he was sacrificing his own life on the Ark, then there really was no reason to get rid of the Elites. It implies the ending of the Covenant which he cared about so deeply, was by his own deeper plan for a future San 'Shyuum-populated universe.
I also had an old story idea called "War Brothers" following an Elite and a Brute fighting together behind enemy lines, who came to respect each other. When the planet is defeated and they reunite with the Covenant army, they reveal that the Great Schism has happened and the Brutes want to kill the Elite. This causes the Brute and Elite to fight together against the Brutes to try and get to the bottom of what's happened, going all the way to High Charity to talk to a Prophet, only to be disappointed when the Prophet confirms everything. I've effectively abandoned this story though.
Halo 4 Rewrite - "Reclamation"
Rather than staying faithful with the Bungie games, I am quick to depart from the story of the 343 games, though I want to follow the same general path. I am staying true to the Forerunner trilogy and whatever 343 EU doesn't get in my way, Humans WILL be separate from Forerunners. This is non-negotiable, so don't go getting any ideas.
I'm considering whether to keep the same timeline or to make it closer to 10 or 15 years. In that case, Cortana will not exist in her pre-rampancy state. Only subroutines for Chief, and perhaps her full simulation being frozen in place somehow. Then later the Didact can fix her permanently, and perhaps even wire her into a hardlight body that can feel and interact with the world.
Chief cannot fight against the forces of Requiem, because he simply loses. In 1000 out of 1000 possible worlds Chief dies within a minute. He was sent there by Mendicant to awaken the Didact, and the Didact isn't gonna try and kill him. Atfirst, Didact despairs completely, but eventually returns to stoicism. He hates the Ancilla of the Librarian, now dysfunctional from time and unable to answer his questions. But he also loves her. He mirrors Chief in many ways, but is far above him. When Chief tries to argue with him he reassures him that nothing new can be thought for him.
Lamenting the end of the Forerunners, Didact returns to the nebula where the Forerunner homeworld once orbited its star. He considers all the sins of the Forerunners that might have earned their extinction, including the wars that destroyed their homeworld and many others. Master Chief learns alot but doesn't do much fighting between meeting the Didact and encountering the Infinity, probably at Delta Halo. They're at war with Jul M'Dama's Covenant, sure. Don't have a ton of ideas for that.
But Chief goes and finds the Infinity's crew, entirely augmented, full of Spartans and fighting the Flood and Covenant. Locke may or may not be one of them. Most of the crew respects Chief, but Del Rio has a particular unwillingness to idolize him. He will explain his ideology at some point, and Chief will largely agree with it. Briefly, Humanity has been prepared to take hold of the Universe, and needs to grow up quick to become its caretakers if they don't want another Covenant annihilation. He sees Chief as a stepping stone to reaching higher technology, and in fact current Spartan armor is higher tech than Chief's Mark VI.
But something will happen involving Cortana's corruption by the Gravemind interfacing with the Didact's, and it will end up pitting Chief against Del Rio who wants to destroy both of them, perhaps out of hubris thinking they can win. And so Chief refuses to hand over Cortana, goes rogue, and many Spartans of the Infinity are killed by the Didact.
The Librarian copies Cortana into Requiem, and she sacrifices herself to take over and self-destruct the Didact's ship. Maybe he survives by hiding in the Cryptum, or by getting composed, idk this part is a bit hazy.
Halo 5 rewrite: "Truth and Reconciliation"
Tired of hazy ideas? Well we lead here to a story I had gone as far as to write down in the 2017-2019 period, intended as a sequel to Halo 5. But I eventually realized I didn't want to work around real Halo 5's baggage and made it the proper version of the story.
Chief is AWOL from the beginning now, after giving the Infinity the slip. Chief finds himself on a post-glassing Human-Elite integration project planet called Babyl. Here the UNSC monitors everything done between sample populations of pro-Human Elites, and Pro-Elite Humans, as well as anti-Human Elites and Anti-Elite Humans. The latter groups are watched carefully, and attempted to deradicalize. Many of the Elites consider it a tyrannical Human prison planet, but there is much learning about each species' over time. Still, political unrest is destabilizing the project.
Sapient Sunrise is a Human Supremacist group who shares Del Rio's ideas of the Mantle. They have alot of allies in the UNSC. And so Chief has to stop a killing at a talk between Human and Elite leaders, ending with him fighting the UNSC and being framed. He runs away to avoid killing humans.
He goes to hunt down his fellow Spartan-IIs firstly, and Kelly, Fred and Linda are who he finds. Fred and Linda have been working together for the past years, while Kelly has been on her own sowing discord behind Covenant splinter lines. She's become disenchanted with the UNSC, and supports John's rebellion, while Fred and Linda aren't comfortable with going against the UNSC. But they follow Chief anyways, sparking debate between the 4 of them.
All this is learned through the POV of Spartan Locke. Locke's backstory is delivered in pieces throughout the story, but at its beginning he is working with Osiris team already, when he gets the message that Chief has gone rogue. They are unaware of his alliance with Blue team, and frustrated at ONI's lack of info. Locke has been developed into the perfect ONI spy for years, even manipulating Osiris. In attempting to take Chief in, Osiris is incapacitated by Blue Team, but Locke gets to have his 1-on-1 with Chief. And despite inferior technology Chief whoops him and tells him the true story. Locke doesn't buy into it, but he considers the possibility. Locke is left on Babyl with Osiris team hospitalized. Blue Team gives themselves in but let Chief get away. Tensions on Babyl rise as the Humans and Elites have formed into mobs against each other, and the UNSC gets attacked. Spartans try to ease the crowd.
Valarad R'Shanai is the leader of the Ascetics, practicing stoicism in the street as Humans surround him, unable to hurt him. Eventually they bring out weapons that threaten him, and he fights back cleanly. But when he sees Spartans parting the crowd he takes notice of their presence.
He has Locke brought to the Ascetic temple, intimidates him, and asks about Master Chief. When he learns Locke is hunting him, Valarad becomes ardent on joining Locke. Locke reluctantly accepts, not trusting Valarad. They end up escaping Babyl, and follow Chief to a Forerunner construct occupied by the Banished where he's gone for some reason. Valarad tries to attack the Heretics but is laid out by Atriox. Atriox lets them go in the off chance they find Chief, but sends them out into Flood-infested territory.
Now originally my favorite scene in the whole story was predicated on the idea you could be infected by the Flood and live if the Gravemind was destroyed, which is just not the case. But in fighting the Gravemind both Locke and Valarad would have their minds attacked, incapacitating Locke as we learn the full extent of his backstory. But the parts of him that motivated him to rebel against ONI are removed. Some of Valarad's backstory is teased, but the Flood makes a miscalculation in trying to dtop him from resisting, that actually motivates him to destroy the "heart" the Gravemind, setting Locke and Valarad free for a while before the Flood rewired itself to be individual units again.
Locke comes out of it more trusting and willing to open up to Valarad, but also more steeled to follow ONI. When Valarad shows signs of wanting to kill Chief, Locke doesn't know what to do. When they finally find Chief and call the Infinity, Valarad attempts to stop Locke from stopping him, which leads to a fight neither wanted, with Locke defeated and near-dead.
Valarad fights through Flood infestation to reach Chief, before trapping him in a room and explaining his full backstory, before fighting Chief 1 on 1 with an energy sword. I wrote out this lead-up to their battle on my page, and through their fight- well, I've spoiled alot, I won't tell you how it goes. That story on my page also contains the follow-up short story,
Halo: Desperation
Which follows Valarad after the fight, going back to Babyl as it's being evacuated, on a ship with only a few human and a few Elite passengers headed there. The ship malfunctions and is unable to exit slipspace, and the passengers begin to squabble over resources. After the food is eaten, one of the Elites invites Valarad to kill and eat one of the Humans. Valarad doesn't stop him, and then eats the spoils after he's dead. None of the other crew can force the Elites to do anything, but as the engine is making progress to deactivating, they end up drawing straws to see who will be food for the rest. When the victim is decided as the young Elite girl, Valarad will not have it, and protects her from the other male. When he tries to eat the Humans instead, Valarad stops him as well. Despite being injured, Valarad and the other male Elite have a final fight, and both of them are mortally wounded. Valarad gives the Elite girl promise to try and find the Ascetics, and deliver them his last words, the true reason he went after Chief and what happened, and that he never should've left. It may or may not end with the girl finding the Ascetics.
There would also be a
Halo 6 Rewrite - "?"
But a large amount of the original story conception has to be thrown out. Except for the conversations between Atriox and Chief, the nature of the Banished, that was all good. There will still be a Banished warlord who led the invasion of Janjur Qom, killed most of the adults, and brainwashed the children to be his loyal followers in a twisted revenge for the Prophets' enslavement under the Covenant.
The Guardians (or some comparable force) will still destroy Doisac due to Atriox's stubbornness, and he will have to live with the consequences.
The UNSC will only be more deadset on holding the Mantle and putting all other races under their feet, bringing them to conflict with Atriox. The Banished will still turn to the Insurectionists to ally against the UNSC. Chief will still wrestle with his allegiances, especially reunited with Blue Team who are deadset in conflict with each other. The Didact will still return to talk with Mendicant Bias. And he will still learn the truth beyond any denial: that the Forerunners come from Humans, and Earth is their homeworld. The Forerunners' Great Test was to be denied the Mantle, and to relent in humility, which they failed.
Cortana 2 will still be made and original Cortana will turn evil but I'm not sure in which way.
OG Cortana could influence and take control all Human technology, working and communicating with the higher ups, making deals with them in order to raise up Humanity and AI. She will definitely represent the system and woman that made Chief and controls him, which he has to break away from by letting Cortana die.
And Chief will start to get faint visions of the Precursors as Humanity is Tested. They may show up, I'm not sure. The Flood certainly will. And let's be honest, so will Arbiter.
It's all very hazy, and like I said I wouldn't be the only writer for these projects, perhaps the overseer.
Man, that's just my Halo stuff. I also have a Call of Duty fanfic which is next priority after The Coming Fire, if not an original fiction which would certainly be more respectable to have under my belt.
Call of Duty: End of an Era
I'm still not crazy about the title. It was conceived as a continuation of the story for several COD stories, but realistically, it's Call of Duty: Ghosts 2. I'm too tired to explain the plot of it, idk why I bother with spoilers, go read what exists of it on my page, aka very little. It's a bigger project than The Coming Fire, but smaller than the Halo rewrites or How Shall We Then Live?.
If you're not a fan of Ghosts I hope the film it's written to be for wins you over, or stands on its own without having to have played Ghosts. I achieve much dramatic goodness by switching what little character brothers Logan and Hesh had, so that Logan is the older brother, the leader, Riley's owner, and Hesh is the orders follower, the strong silent type, who's not talkative with anyone but Logan.
Mind control and brainwashing tropes are infamous for annoying me, and have never in anything I've seen been explored nearly as far as End of an Era ought to, as Logan was taken at the end of Ghosts to be brainwashed by the villain of that game, Rorke, who was also himself brainwashed.
Action! Drama! Intrigue! Mystery! War! All elements to be found in the exciting Hollywood blockbuster End of an Era! A true love letter to Call of Duty itself.
I was inspired by Arcane to write a proper Overwatch show, and I did in fact start writing it. I even called my brother to explain scenes I wanted to have. But honestly, do I look stupid enough to start a fan-fiction at 19? (As I was at the time) No. I'm already dug into the rest of this stuff.
Same story for some scenes for Death Note that the show never bothered to slow down and include but I thought would help it.
And also the possibilities for a Video Game High School season 4 that run through my brain every now and again. Screw all that. It'll be out if it comes out, that's all.
And that also applies to all my fanfiction and original fiction stories that aren't The Coming Fire. They'll be out if they ever come out. Would be cool if this inspires some fellow writers, or even tantalizes fans with possibilities, I know it does me!
