It's been a while again, and that's all on me for one reason or another. I'm not really blaming anyone but myself here as I could've gotten so much more work done by now but didn't. However, we are back again and I intend to make the most of it. So I hope you enjoyed our latest action packed chapter and that you're interested in some behind the scenes stuff.
Epic Land War: It's been a while since we've seen a proper fight on the ground from our Halo and Mass Effect chums. I wanted to give readers some epic action after a lot of chapters of character development and rising tensions. The opening raid was a nice salvo, but this had to be full on, showcasing a lot of characters, some of their development and even some forshadowing for future events.
So I'll just get into a few of them since a lot of this chapter is just a lot of explosions and shooting.
Varvok: So Varvok is finally actually being a team player and really pulling his weight alongside human characters. He's connected a bit more to the community of New Teteocan and genuinely wants to help them. Moreso, he's trying to convince his men to let their animosity go, much like he has overall. This wasn't an easy change, and it's hardly the last bit of his development that he needs. He still kinda hasn't admited that slavery is bad after all. But he's not working with humans more openly and tolerantly and that's good to see. I couldn't keep him as an asshole with a prejudiced chip on his shoulder forever, people would get tired of him fast. So this was a neccessary thing for him to volunteer to do of his own free will to show he's changed.
Linda's Sniper Skills: I did a lot of stuff with Linda's sniping. I always enjoy creating creative stuff with Linda's gunplay. It's all about figuring out how to make her trickshots seem plausible but also fun. I guess it helps that I played a lot of Sniper Elite recently so I've gotten used to sniping tactics. Same with Halo, the sniping related missions in those games do require a fair degree of skill. Shielded enemies are the worst and they are quicker at dodging then they seem. Like, lighting fast reflexes.
Linda's best shot though wasprobably created in editing. Thanks to Crow for pointing out that I could've made that much better. Chain of disaster stuff is always fun. Probably should've seen the opportunity there at first. This is why we have editors folks, they help you see stuff you miss in tunnel vision moments.
The Unggoy Step Up: You all know by now I have a soft spot for the Grunts. The put upon, basically slave class of the Covenant Empire. While they've gotten more liberated since the collapse of the Prophet dominated system, they still aren't very well respected. But they're more dangerous than we think. You push them hard enough, they will react badly. Within our little flotilla, they have been removed from the repressive culture of servitude for a while now. Sure, they're working for peanuts for Zek, but Zek, as bit of a racist against them as he and most Jackals are, isn't out to abuse them to the same degree. Whle this is part of Zek's character development, his slightly better treatment of them is still pretty condscending and exploitive.
This is why they got pissed at Retz and demanded better treatment for coming down to the planet. They're getting fed up of taking guff from the Jackals. And now, they're realizing they're tougher than they think and braver than they thought. Boz is shocked to see them taking part in the active defense of the colony, but to me it makes sense. Why would they keep cowering and proving the Jackals right? Why wouldn't they assert themselves? At the very least in an attempt to prove to their new employers that they aren't to be pushed around.
You might be wondering though, why would the Spartans give them extra gear? Human weapons and the like. Well, I figured Chief would be somewhat willing at this point to aceept help from anyone in this situation. But if the grunts are going to put themselves at risk, better to give them guns that will actually help them. Needlers are good... but UNSC Magnums would be deadly in the hands of shot happy Unggoy. Mostly, I just wanted to show Chief and his team giving the Unggoy some much needed support and assistance. I don't know, just warms my heart to see the little gas suckers get a confidence boost.
Trench Warfare: I guess I just wanted to do something a bit different in terms of a fight in the Halo universe. A defensive battle called for something a bit less Run and Gun and more Turtling Up. And, admitedly, I have a bit of a history buff interest in World War One, so I wanted to see if I could translate that to Halo. Just to give this fight something of an original flaire. I've done so manyu ship raids, hallway shooters and even zombie attacks, that I just really wanted a different feel to things. I hope I captured that with the slow, grinding down of the defenders. Of how despite the victories they earned, they were getting worn down. Which made Tali and Halsey's rush to get the lab open more important. That they would lose this fight eventually if they didn't get the grid up. And for the most part I think it really worked out. I enjoyed giving our heroes a challenge that was different for once.
New Vehicles: Cribbing from Halo Wars is fairly profitable, as evidenced by the Grizzly Tank. I just really love epic tanks you guys. I wish that we could use one of these in the mainline games, not just an RTS. Bringing it to life in this chapter was fun to do because I finally got to unleash some epic tank battling. I partially wish I didn't wreck the Grizz, but if I didn't it would make no sense as to WHY they were losing. All they needed to do was bring out the Grizz from the go and they'd win. Showing that, even this mega tank, could be overwhelmed by Snarlbeak's amibitons. I really need to find a way to bring the Grizz back in the future for something, if only so one of our main characters can drive it and expeirence the raw power of it from behind the wheel. Maybe using it to kill a Reaper or something, I don't know. I'll workshop it. Its just more proof to me though that I need to use more of the epic tier units from the wider universe, becausethey offer so many opportunities for some action scenes.
Caleb: Caleb... or Calvin depending on what you want to call him now, is probably not easy to sympathize with right now. But I don't think he's as bad as he once was. In my efforts to prove that people can change for the better, that people aren't always what they seem, I'm trying to show Caleb's deeper thought process. While that belief system has been taking a toll in recent months, that there are people are more than what the first appear to be, I still believe in my core that people can become better. I feel Caleb really did change being among the human colonists of New Teteocan. That his mission changed. He never really renounced Cerberus though, and he clearly still believed somewhat in the mission, even if he never admitted it until now.
He just was really attached to getting that relic and seeing a chance at finally finishing what he started might have knocked him back into Cerberus mode. But overall, he's still a part of New Teteocan and he wants to help it more than Cerberus. That doesn't absolve him, but he's not a monster. He's a man who made a lot of bad mistakes and is just trying to preserve the one thing that he ever did right. And this is, probably, his one and only chance to redeem himself.
It might not go the way he or anyone really wants though. As you saw.
Zhoc's Infiltration: Yeah, I wasn't going to let a secret entrance into the colony go to waste. There are always consequences to actions even if they are well intended and beneficial. I needed to show Zhoc is a crafty opponent, and that meant doing more than just having him scream at his underlings and keep sending wave after wave of red shirts to die. He had to have a better plan than that, so I used what I felt made sense for him. What would he know, how would he know it. And I do hope that it made sense for folks reading the story.
Zhoc's reaction to Taq's taunting also builds off his previous actions. He is letting his smooth operator, calm collected friendly bad guy exterior slip. Partially I think it's because he feels that if he can emulate the image of his sister, people will fear and respect him and finally just roll over and let him have what he wants. The problem is, he's not his sister and even his image of Zvaz is not who she was, as we will discover actually. Zhoc just really can't stand being told he's failing his sister, that is what will set him off more than anything. That's his identity, that's what he runs on. He's been at this for decades now, trying to fulfill the dream of his sister. Standing in his way is an insult to her as much as it is to him and what he's accomplished. I said before Zhoc is used to getting what he wants at this point, because he's that powerful. But it's with a deeper reasoning, it's about fulfilling what his sister wanted.
Zhoc has let his noble ambitions twist himself into something monstrous and uncaring. I don't think Zvaz would recognize him anymore. That's why Taq's words hit him so hard and made him go nuts. Deep down, he knows she's telling the truth. That this isn't what Zvaz wants, but he can't accept it. Again, this sort of thing doesn't absolve him for his actions, but it explains them. There's a difference between empathy and sympathy for me. Empathy is understanding why someone is the way they are. Sympathy is acknowledging their position as valid. Some people don't deserve the latter, but empathy is something I feel is important. If you can't understand other people, even the monsters, you can never truly avoid the same pitfalls they allowed themselves to drop into. It's not so much about saving them, they have to want to be saved, but it is about understanding their undetlying motivations and what made them who they are.
People often mistake Thanos from the MCU as a hero because they confuse empathy for what he's been through to grant him sympathy for it. To validate his position. He suffered a terrible tragedy, but he cares more about being right in his solution than actually resolving the pain he feels. A pain he now exhibits onto others while he feels its a mercy. Like Zhoc, it's just an excuse to give him justification for his horrible actions, but in reality he's not the hero here. He's just got a hero complex.
Anyway, that's most of my thoughts for now. I need to get back to finishing the next chapter... chapters. It's kinda balooned, you'll hopefully see soon enough. Thanks for reading and I hope my absence hasn't made you think I've quit on this. It's just been a rough year, I know that isn't unique right now, but it's the truth. I hope you're all doing okay and staying safe there. Let's try and make this year a bit better if we can, ok?
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