mrs-chief:

caheistspy:

caheistspy:

This began in this post I guess.

Uh… This is pretty much a long list of instances in which the Master Chief is referred to by John in Halo: The Fall of Reach (I don’t know what else to call it). I have listed the chapter and page (in bold), but keep in mind I have a print copy of the definitive edition.

Notes: Some short instances require some a little context, but the context is far too many lines. Unfortunately it’s a fairly short description from me. Anywhere I omitted a bit of the original text for brevity is noted with .   .   . (

ellipsis with spaces)

And sorry for the bad grammar and my awkward writing. (It’s also like, a light-year long, and this hellsite wrecked all my formatting when I transferred it over.)

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@mrs-chief  I DID IT IN ONE DAY. THE JOHN LIST FOR TFOR IS HERE. IT TOOK ME LIKE FIVE HOURS BUT I REGRET NOTHING. 

Things I noted that made me cry: John is often referred to his real name when his Spartans are in danger/potential danger, and it’s heartbreaking. Other times are character defining moments that are just beautifully pensive.

I’ll have the next two books done by the end of the week hopefully. I’ll tag you in that too.

And if you know anyone else who wants this list you can spread it around. 

Holy shit this is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I totally see what you were saying now about the pattern. When Nylund is writing more introspective scenes, or more intimate scenes, he’s John. But when he’s writing a scene where he’s a leader and a beacon for those around him, he’s back to Chief/Master Chief. It’s interesting because in Halo 5, the Warden Eternal taunts John, saying that Cortana knows his “real name, before [he] was 117″, which sort of brings up a discussion of how humanism is tied to having a name. After all, most people don’t even know him as Spartan-117, let alone John-117. They just know him as the Master Chief, this big, arguably terrifying robot in power armor. 

I think this is something really important in Halo also because the use of real names among people who’ve been stripped of their humanity really shows not only how close they are, but how trusting and candid they can be together. This is something I kind of disliked in Halo 5 because John calls Fred “Frederic” and it just seems, odd and out-of-character. 

Now, granted, I could make an argument about how it’s inappropriate to be on a first-name basis with your comrades in the military (I got yelled at for this once, absolutely true story) but really, in this case when John is so deprived of not only humanity but also just straight-up normal socialization, it’s refreshing to see writers (especially Nylund my beloved <3) peel back the armor and show him as he is. 

(also i will literally always cry reading the bit where he goes to Camp Hathcock my heart hurts i love him so endlessly)

Thank you so much this is truly a gift and I am blessed ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

mrs-chief:

veta-lopis:

mrs-chief:

Yeah, that’s always seem to bother me also. I don’t really think there’s a canon explanation, but I tend to rationalize it as John being confused on whether he should fight a brother-in-arms or not, kind of like what happened in the gym on the Atlas in Fall of Reach. Also, I’m sure John wasn’t looking to seriously maim or kill Locke, just incapacitate him for a little bit so that might be why it seems like he held back. John has had kind of an unspoken personal rule since Eridanus Secundus to never kill another human being again, so I’m sure that’s a factor. 

I refuse to believe that the SIVs are as strong as it seemed in the fight. The reason why SIIs are so ostracized and feared is because they are so beyond normal human strength and even super-human strength. 

Putting aside the “poor writing” explanation (since it’s ultimately the answer and has already been discussed ad nauseum), I think part of it was that when 343 rolled out the Spartan-IVs, the fanbase very loudly complained about how much they disliked them, and ever since then it seems like 343 has to do this balancing act where they have to make sure the original Spartans maintain superiority, but that they don’t make the IVs look incompetent by comparison. John beating Locke in the fight would have garnered a “look see they can’t do ANYTHING!” response from fans (which I’ve already seen anyway); conversely, giving Locke the definitive upper hand would have made people (rightfully, I think) complain about breaking canon.

Personally, I think the fight makes sense in the context of John being utterly exhausted – On the Brink and TN72H both gave us a glimpse of how hard he’s pushing himself and Blue Team after Cortana’s death, and then we have Fred worrying about him at the very beginning of the game. It’s obvious that Chief isn’t at his best, and so a skilled team like Osiris, even if they wouldn’t be a match for Blue Team when they’re well-rested and not going AWOL, are able to slip into the crack’s of John’s armour and deal a few good blows.

The exhaustion makes a lot of sense. We see a side of John in H5 we’ve never really seen before, especially with the “like hell she is” comment. He seems irritated, confused, hurt, and above all, tired.