Welcome back, everyone! I've missed you all. It has been a crazy three weeks with a lot of things happening here at the studio. I'm tired so not going to have a super flowery intro because let's be honest, you're here for the content, not my intros. Before we jump in though, I do want to remind people that we've been posting some #HaloSpotlight content over on our Instagram, independent of the blog itself. If you're an artist and you have an active Instagram channel, having your handle findable dramatically increases your chances of being featured. Just saying.

That concludes the housekeeping portion of the Community Spotlight so let's get to it!

CRÈME DE LA CRÈME

Before I get to the post, a quick history lesson! (I can already hear the "But Saaaaaam!" cries of despair over learning but it's not long, I promise.) The Battle of Thermopylae is a famously renowned batte between the city states of Greece (including Athens and Sparta) led by King Leonidas of Sparta and the Persians, led by King Xerxes I. It took place in ancient Greece just yesterday, in 480 B.C. Why is this relevant, you ask? Well this is the battle that really shoved the Spartan army into the limelight with their heroic last stand (it's even a movie) and caused the name "Spartan" to become somewhat synonymous with super soldier. Coupled with the great Greek hero Achillies, it should be no surprise that Halo has drawn an inspiration or two from such illustrious roots. With all of that in mind, @chris_mastree_productions created this 300-inspired Spartan and I absolutely adore it. The composition, the scenery...it's all stunning.

Sweet genius

Slight deviation from the normal format here but @BaconMediaYT's machinima deserves its own spotlight section. Don't believe me? Watch Operators and judge for yourself. I'm pretty sure it should be illegal to be this good at what you do but no one asked me. I just know this was incredible and 21 minutes flew by.

Snack Break

With Reach flighting somewhere on the horizon, it seemed fitting to use a community recording of part of Halo: Reach's soundtrack. This week, I bring you @UmaiMango's cover of "Ghosts and Glass" for your enjoyment. Considering he's self taught, I'd say this is pretty good!

Snicker's Doodles

I'm sure everyone's familiar with the drill by now, but if you're new, welcome! You've made it to the section where you get to see some of the great things your fellow Halo fans have created.

Halo has *ahem* evolved over the years and to illustrate that (literally!), @embertember's made this really neat compliation of ballpoint pen and watercolor Master Chiefs.

@DigitaiRenegad3 is quickly becoming one of my favorites to watch. After watching the Discover Hope trailer, she, like many others, was drawn to the pilot. She's done a great job on this portrait. Judging by the scruff, a bit of time has elapsed.

Since he sits next to me and he's a fan of Halo Wars 2, I asked Postums to describe Atriox to me in 3 words and he said, "Big. Ugly....Scary." Then I showed him @theGameWorld's Atriox and asked him for 3 words to describe this and I got, "...needs a hug!" so find your friendly neighborhood Jiralhanae warmaster and give them a hug.

I must say, Tumblr was not the platform I expected to find some wholesome Elite art but @annastudiesandstuff posted this and who can resist a flower crown?

Just like many others, @jonathan_mendoza117 is also waiting... patiently waiting, for Halo Infinite. I wonder if Chief is passing time by napping behind that visor of his?

Have you ever wondered how Spartans dress when they're off duty? This is @synnesai's version - whatcha think? I'm digging the fancy-casual combo here.

Inspired by Halo Infinte's trailer, @thedaytimes117 made this vibrant piece. I love all the things incorporated into it.

While we're on the "Woooo Halo Infinite!" train, @PickledGear never disappoints. Amazing work as always, sir.

In Teniente ford's own words: "Hi! After watching Halo Infinite new trailer i'm hyped, so i share my last render remembering how this saga started." (You can also catch him on Instagram!)

I've seen some really adorable pixel art but until /u/Hashashaaaa, I haven't seen an armory of UNSC and Covenant weapons. Just one question – when do we get the Forerunner set?!

While many are looking to the future, /u/Sierra I07 is looking back towards Silent Storm (fantastic book by the by, highly recommend!) with this project of his.

While the interior might be a Flood infested nightmare, the exterior of the Library as depicted by @cole_protocol looks majestic. Clearly a case where appearances can be deceiving.

Here is @HGeorgeson's Chief getting a pep talk from Cortana before heading into the Library and getting lost going in circles. (Okay I know it's a Halo Infinite work but I can't help but think it looks like this after seeing the Library above.)

I love the look on Cortana's face here, @Prime8684. This feels very much like a, "Really? I told you so." kind of stance...This feels quite relatable some days.

Using the Halo Infinite key art as reference, /u/thecursedchuro (what IS a cursed churo? Is it like a cursed churro? I hope not because I don't know what that is either.) made this Chief. It's simple and yet very easily identifiable as our favorite hero in green.

If the ladies of Blue Team are more your thing, check out this fantastic piece of Linda-058 and Kelly-087 by @greywolfxn. It's so...atmospheric. (If you really like Linda-058 or want to know more about her, don't forget that you can grab the whole series of Lone Wolf in one hardcover book now!)

@ENERGYDIE020 decided to render his Spartan, as well as a buddy's, "because why not" and I'm really envious of the ability to do things like that for reasons like that. I hope your friend liked this, Retro!

Don't let @LadyAmbient say otherwise, this doodle of Chief and Ascendant Justice's Huragok is precious and I can't help but smile when I see it.

Eye Candy

Another shuffle for this week's Spotlight – keeping y'all on your toes! I'm hitting some of the cosplay/cosplay adjacent things first because you gotta see @OlyOlyOxen_free's latest shots of his Master Chief cosplay. No seriously.

Look at this! He even has some Flood with him. His photographer @aazphoto deserves a ton of credit here too because these are fantastic shots. Bravo!

I've seen a lot cosplay armor and prop weapons come across my feed but I can honestly say that this medkit by @killedbykgb is the first health pack I've seen! I really want to get a couple and stick them on the walls at the studio now...

Black and Whites

Now, back to our regularly scheduled sketches.

This one goes out to everyone who has suffered through Sniper Alley (aka Outskirts) in Halo 2. Say thank you to @draw_me_skyline for this pencil sketch of the Kig-Yar.

I feel like I'm going to be saying this a lot for the next little bit but the Halo Infinite trailer has spawned a lot of really awesome fan art and @tony_nazb's work is no exception. The amount of detail he manages to show using pen is incredible.

Normally when people #HaloSpotlight their work, it's usually inspired by one game but @HaloEnthusiast decided to be a super tryhard and churn out some sketches from both Halo: Reach and Halo Infinite. I couldn't decide which I liked better so you get both. I know, it's such a burden to look at such cool stuff. Something tells me you'll survive!

What's better than a triple kill Warthog? How about @Fish_Daddy's Killtrocity Warthog? Not saying I would absolutely insist on piling a full 8 man team into one of these buuuuut I would totally insist on piling a full 8 man team into one of these.

Apparently @justingrosjean is working on a fan comic and he shared a sneak peek at the first 3 pages. There's no context, no speech; nothing beyond just the art but I'm already looking forward to the finished project because look how good these pages are! Please do share the final project when it's completed, okay? Thanks!

Homemade

How about some content that's not drawings but things still made by hand? Excellent!

/u/Lordofthedrapes is pretty much the best friend you could want apparently since he made this wood burning of Master Chief for his buddy's housewarming. I need more friends like you, clearly! I saw someone in the comments asking for this as a toilet seat lid and I'm not really sure how I feel about that suggestion at all. 🤔

"I thought I'd mix things up a bit." – /u/JGoodberry, probably, as he decided to have a little fun with a 3D printer and some clever painting. We definitely haven't seen the likes of this grace the Spotlight before and I can't wait to see what other new creations people come up with.

I don't really know what /u/rickypierocks is using his Cortana Data Storage Unit for but it would be a wicked awesome desk lamp, IMO. Related: I want one for my desk but my ability and skillz to make this happen are nonexistent so I will sit in jealousy and love this from afar. If you want to see more detailed info, you can check the Imgur album!

Special Delivery

I'd normally bundle this into one of the other categories but this is simply too good and deserves this spot. This minifig-opens-a-REQ-pack series by @haloconstruxpics is incredible and so creative. There's a lot of work and small touches that went into this series but I don't want to spoil it all so I'm only posting the first pic here. Look how adorable it is! HE EVEN MADE A TWEE LITTLE GOLD REQ PACK FOR THE MINI SPARTAN! Omg. Please go to his Instagram to see the full series! Genuinely one of my favorites of all the minifig posts I've seen.

Sweet Rolls

For those that prefer videos, we've arrived at the section for you!

Soldat DuChrist made a video of his Halo 5 map called "Last Bastion." If you want to check the map out for yourself, you can download it here! If you do, be sure to give Soldat your feedback as I'm sure he'd love to hear it.

Seeing people recreate things from our trailers will never get old, so @UnsortedGaming's recreation of the Halo Infinite control room in forge is great. Here's a speed build video of his work. Watch it and join me in the, "How on earth are you guys so damn good at forge" corner.

I'm not sure I've ever seen @GuggaLeunnam create bad videos. Here's his "Road to Halo Infinite" teaser that looks back at all the things leading up to Halo Infinite.

Whenever there's any sort of video reveal, fan reaction videos are bound to crop up and there are a ton out there for Infinite. In fact, we have a whole email thread going around the studio with people sharing links to any they come across that they like. This particular video by /u/Dr_Popodopolus really struck a chord with some people for the emotions and story shared.

Made to Order

I genuinely love screenshots. They're fun and often a way that people start exploring content creation. Especially with the tools and capability the Xbox One brings to the table, they're a way that virtually anyone can dip their toes into their creative side. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

@BeneficBen

@imCandiedConnor MasterSlayer010

Petits Fours

As always, time to round out things with an assortment of treats!

Doodle's Snickers

I'm not really sure there are enough words to adequately describe the Xbox Endgame poster by @sahand_tajdini so I'll let you come up with your own descriptions here.

If you made it this far, congrats! You're at the end of this edition of the Community Spotlight, yay! If your content is showcased, don't forget to reach out to me with your Gamertag on Twitter, Xbox Live, or Halo Waypoint so I can add you to the list of people that I give Fire Unicorn 🔥🦄 (digital) goodie bags to next week. You don't need to hit up all of them, just one is fine I promise. See you all next time!

Ciao! xx

--Sam

PS - I did a thing. 😎