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Report In! / Re: SGP: Secret detonator on CM:AS (Solved)
« Last post by nightcrafter27 on October 25, 2021, 14:55:02 »Wow, it's crazy to finally have some closure on this after so long. Nice work!
Recent Posts
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Theorizers / Re: SGP: Triplicate - Meaning - Crazytalks about the Y-shape
« Last post by Imppa on November 18, 2020, 18:00:12 »Hmm. After ten years, I got a simple idea that might sound as plausible for the triplicate symbol. (And no, I have no idea how I ended up with that name. 
)
The names of the achievements are describing different police "ranks", or at least distinctions between experience. In a way, the symbols of the achievements remind me of insignias - Junior Detective is a simple with little flair, Gumshoe has a bit of complexity to it, and Super Sleuth is straight up golden. Maybe they are meant as rank insignias of sorts - seeing something like that on a drone view wouldn't, maybe, be too much of a stretch.
)The names of the achievements are describing different police "ranks", or at least distinctions between experience. In a way, the symbols of the achievements remind me of insignias - Junior Detective is a simple with little flair, Gumshoe has a bit of complexity to it, and Super Sleuth is straight up golden. Maybe they are meant as rank insignias of sorts - seeing something like that on a drone view wouldn't, maybe, be too much of a stretch.
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Intel / Nine Levels Underground - an essay on ODST's relations Dante's Inferno and more
« Last post by Imppa on November 15, 2020, 16:02:03 »I found this well-written article about Halo 3 ODST and the connections it makes to Dante's Inferno, through some simple googling:
https://halo.bungie.org/misc/nine_levels_underground/
It's a good read, and is a good collection of references found before, some very fresh observations at least to me, as well as great conclusions about how this show's Bungie's skills to "weave game and world".
https://halo.bungie.org/misc/nine_levels_underground/
It's a good read, and is a good collection of references found before, some very fresh observations at least to me, as well as great conclusions about how this show's Bungie's skills to "weave game and world".
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Theorizers / Re: QTA XII VI, Dante's Inferno, and Hollow Men - The Ultimate Theory
« Last post by Imppa on November 13, 2020, 10:55:04 »Oh, spam continues:
In the original unveiling of the QTA XII/VI, the discussion goes something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emzEyDLequI
So, I mean...
You should probably send in your solution, according to the instructions.
In the original unveiling of the QTA XII/VI, the discussion goes something like this:
Quote
Staten: This is a patch we made early up for the team, little secret numbers there, I thought it up for you guys.
...
Staten: How many weeks 'til the game comes out? Two? Three? ... See if you can figure this out by then *clears throat*
Marty: *chuckles*
Staten: Send your answers to Marty O'Donnel at...
Marty: Just tweet *points phone*
Staten: Yeah, just tweet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emzEyDLequI
So, I mean...
You should probably send in your solution, according to the instructions.
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Theorizers / Re: QTA XII VI, Dante's Inferno, and Hollow Men - The Ultimate Theory
« Last post by Imppa on November 13, 2020, 10:10:20 »Oh, also, haha, remember what's famously the last word of each of the books of the Divine Comedy, including Inferno?
"Stars".
"Stars".
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Theorizers / Re: QTA XII VI, Dante's Inferno, and Hollow Men - The Ultimate Theory
« Last post by Imppa on November 12, 2020, 15:05:01 »Man, the Engineer with it's open flaps has the shape of a 5-pronged start. Wow. 
I definitely agree that it's reasonable to think of The Hollow Men poem as a guideline for discoveries, especially since Marty hinted towards something like that. Then again, I wonder if it would be possible that this wasn't exactly a nudge, and we're just seeing it as one because we desperately want one?
No, it's so convenient it has to be a nudge. And even if in the end Marty was just using "cactus land" as an inside language to ODST, a nudge means there's something worthwhile to find.
What's worthwhile then? Well, even if there's no supreme easter egg, all these connections and references are definitely worthy of investigating. To me, it would already be quite the unraveling to have all of them mapped, and to see how far they truly seem to reach.
I definitely agree that it's reasonable to think of The Hollow Men poem as a guideline for discoveries, especially since Marty hinted towards something like that. Then again, I wonder if it would be possible that this wasn't exactly a nudge, and we're just seeing it as one because we desperately want one?
No, it's so convenient it has to be a nudge. And even if in the end Marty was just using "cactus land" as an inside language to ODST, a nudge means there's something worthwhile to find.
What's worthwhile then? Well, even if there's no supreme easter egg, all these connections and references are definitely worthy of investigating. To me, it would already be quite the unraveling to have all of them mapped, and to see how far they truly seem to reach.
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SGP Task Force: The Librarians / Re: SGP: Dr. Catherine Halsey and the ONI Memorial
« Last post by Scatcycle on October 25, 2020, 01:48:06 »To my knowledge, the Beatrice first appears in First Strike, which was published in 2003 and which Nylund also wrote, but it doesn't seem that the ship was named until Ghosts of Onyx, which was published in April 2007. (This is after a skim of Strike. I don't own Onyx =I could be mistaken.) So I would say since Bungie didn't begin work on ODST until 2008, either a) the name Beatrice is not a reference to the Divine Comedy but rather a happy coincidence, b) Nylund is originating the Dante connection here, or c) the Dante connection is part of the Halo Bible and existed prior to ODST as evidenced by Nylund's use of it. In support of the idea of ship name as reference, Halsey does have tremendous guilt about her role in the creation of the Spartan-II's and her mission to Onyx, which she undertakes aboard the Beatrice, is, in her mind, an attempt to redeem herself: "There was so much to do and so little time left for her, the Spartans, and the human race. She could do something, though. She'd save them one person at a time, starting with Linda, then Kelly, and then a handful of important others. Of course, it meant betraying everyone who trusted her - but if that was the only way Dr. Halsey could save herself, and her soul, then she'd do it." (p. 249, FS). Though I don't immediately associate Onyx with heaven or hell (outside of its being a Forerunner construct), it is the location of the portal to the shield world, which is - or at least appears to be - a paradiso of sorts.
As for Se�or Nylund, his role in the development of the Halo canon is unquestionable. He is the author of (imo) the most important books: The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx. (Contact Harvest is also important, but it's still a prequel, i.e., it doesn't deal with John, Halsey, Cortana, etc.) Nylund also wrote "The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole" in Evolutions, so he appears to be Bungie's go-to person for fleshing out the lore. (Cole appears elsewhere in the canon - Buckell's Cole Protocol is named after him - but it is here, in the short story, where we learn the most about the character.) Nylund features prominently in the Halo Legends commentaries. Unlike Dietz and Buckell, whose books are basically action pieces, Nylund is definitely more than a hired gun.
Plus, Lucifer is a character in his current non-Halo Mortal Coils series, so yeah, he's probably read Divine Comedy. Least he should have.
P.S. Here's an Weekly Update interview with Nylund where he discusses Onyx and the story process.
Quite possibly the longest necropost in SGP history, but I believe we may have found an answer to your proposal. The prophets, in their Halo 2 realization, seem to be a direct reference to Satan as depicted in Dante's Inferno. Their color and presentation order correlates exactly with Dante's Satan; here's some evidence: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hbhMXBtE2QOB6F3hsy62UN7UdKFF1HO8emLPK_jDAJU/edit?usp=sharing . Additionally, their latin name (and this is original Bungie lore, not 343 lore) is Perfidia vermis, or Worms of Treachery. Remind you of a certain circle
? There's also of course the biblical correlation: Isaiah 14:13 -"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly on the heights of Zaphon; I will ascend to the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High" (in reference to Lucifer). This supports your "c) the Dante connection is part of the Halo Bible and existed prior to ODST as evidenced by Nylund's use of it" point, and I think opens up the Halo universe to a whole new level of literary scrutiny.8
SGP Task Force: 7 / Re: J Banner 7
« Last post by ColdGlider on October 13, 2020, 17:20:42 »I don't think I ever posted my thanks to Nightcrafter for bringing the J-Banner to our attention two years ago as it appears in Destiny 2- thank you, Nightcrafter! I'm so happy to see my old friends still working together with new members here at the SGP!
Well done keeping things going... I told you this place wasn't going anywhere. Looking at the news on our website, it appears that Destiny 1 is coming soon. [facepalm] I suppose those are examples of two interpretations of "not going anywhere"... but clearly it's all going somewhere if you are still here!
I had a reaction similar to Imppa's when I passed under the J Banner near the Drifter in Destiny 2... an unresolved puzzle from the past, rearing its bedotted face. Since Umbral Engrams were added in Season 11, a lot more in-game traffic is passing under that sign. Image attached.
Ark told me to tell you all that she sends her love.
Well done keeping things going... I told you this place wasn't going anywhere. Looking at the news on our website, it appears that Destiny 1 is coming soon. [facepalm] I suppose those are examples of two interpretations of "not going anywhere"... but clearly it's all going somewhere if you are still here!
I had a reaction similar to Imppa's when I passed under the J Banner near the Drifter in Destiny 2... an unresolved puzzle from the past, rearing its bedotted face. Since Umbral Engrams were added in Season 11, a lot more in-game traffic is passing under that sign. Image attached.
Ark told me to tell you all that she sends her love.
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SGP Task Force: The Librarians / Re: Halo 3: ODST & Dante's Inferno - New Connections.
« Last post by ColdGlider on October 13, 2020, 14:02:00 »Am I reading this thread correctly, or am I hallucinating? Is there actually a NEW ongoing thread here from THIS MONTH!?
If this is actually happening now, and I am not in some Vex alternate reality- hello again Scatcycle and Imppa! And welcome Dashie!
If this is actually happening now, and I am not in some Vex alternate reality- hello again Scatcycle and Imppa! And welcome Dashie!
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SGP Task Force: The Librarians / Re: Halo 3: ODST & Dante's Inferno - New Connections.
« Last post by Dashie Jinxx on October 10, 2020, 21:01:17 »Truly a great find! ODST is such an intertextual masterpiece - while the Nine Circles were known to be part of the aesthetic of the game, like for the Sadie's Story and it's ups and downs, to think that there would be connections this clear on top of that!
Though a few levels are more barren with connections, this is more than enough to make the connection clear. And like Scat said, maybe a different order could give a new perspective? Of course, it would make it seem less "perfect" than having the mission order timeline represent also the order of the rings. In a way, the roaming at Mombasa Streets is more clever menu-avoiding gameplay than proper storytelling, and might not have been planned in conjunction with the story and it's intertextual quirks.
Hey man, thanks for replying to my caffeine fueled Halo rant! As it stands currently, I'm revising my method in which I approach this, though as it stands it is quite unclear as to how I should do this. Given a few more weeks, I should have the grounds for a much better working connection - hell, hopefully even finish it. This game is beyond unreal with its story!